isil 


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tihvary  of  ^he  Cheolojical  ^eminarjp 

PRINCETON  •  NEW  JERSEY 


From  the  Library  of 

Jnd^e  Charles   Oillett   Hubbard 

Kc?vean  County,    Penrsyi  vania 

BV  3557  .M7  D4  1880 
Deane,  David  J. 
Robert  Moffat 


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^/t^Jtuj^i^  J.^^j^jMyi^i'd 


v^C  s>-      - 


// 


5^ 


KOBERT   MOFFAI". 


Frontispiece. 


Robert   Moffat 

THE 
OF 

Ku  RU  M  A  IM 
DAVID    J.    DEANE 

AUTHOR   OF    "JOHN    WICLIFFE,    THE    MORNING   STAIJ    OF   THE    REFORMATION;" 
"martin    LUTHER,    THE    REFORMER;"    ETC. 


SECOND  EDITION.     TENTH  THOUSAND. 


F  L  E  IVI I  N  (;    H .    R  E  V  E  L  L 


NEW    YORK : 
12  BIBLE  HOUSE. 


CHICAGO  : 

148  &  150  MADISON  STREET. 


PUBLISHER   OF  EVANGELICAL   LITERATURE. 


UNIFORM  WITH  "  ROBERT  MOFFAT, 


Crown  Svo.     160  pages.     Fully  Illustrated.     Cloth  extra. 
Samuel  Crowther;  the  Slave  Boy  who  became  Bishop  of  the 

Niger.  By  Jesse  Pack,  Author  of  "  Bishop  Patteson,  the  Martyr 
of  Melanesia." 

Thom.as  J.  Comber,  Missionary  Pioneer  to  the  Congo.  By  Rev. 
J.  B.  Myeks,  Association  Secretary,  Baptist  Missionary  Society. 

Grif&th  John,  Founder  of  the  Hankow  Mission,  Central  China. 

By  William  Robson,  of  the  London  Missionary  Society. 

Bishop  Patteson,  the  Martyr  of  Melanesia.    By  Jesse  Page. 
Robert  Morrison,  the  Pioneer  of  Chinese  Missions.    By  Wm.  J. 

TowNSEND,  General  Secretary  of  the  Methodist  New  Connexion 
Missionary  Society.  Author  of  "  The  Great  Schoolmen  of  the 
Middle  Ages." 

William  Carey,  the  Shoemaker  who  became  the  Father  and 
Founder  of  Modern  Missions.  By  Rev.  J.  B.  Myers,  Associa- 
tion Secretary,  Baptist  Missionary  Society. 

James  Chalmers,  Missionary  and  Explorer  of  Earotonga  and 

New  Guinea.  By  William  Rohson,  of  the  London  IMissionary 
Society. 


PREFACE. 


THE  record  of  a  life  like  that  of  Robert  Moffat, 
the  South  African  missionary,  can  never  be 
devoid  of  interest  until  all  appreciation  for 
noble  deeds  and  patient  endeavour  becomes 
extinct  in  the  heart  of  man.  Till  then,  our  pulses  will 
quicken  and  our  enthusiasm  kindle  as  we  read  of 
dangers  encountered  and  overcome,  of  the  true 
courage  that  could  undismayed  encounter  the  king 
of  beasts  roaming  on  the  African  plain,  and  of  passing 
the  time  with  savage  chiefs,  beneath  the  spears  and 
clubs  of  whose  warriors  thousands  had  been  slain. 
Or  our  sympathy  is  awakened  as  stories  of  sickness 
and  suffering,  of  hunger  and  terrible  thirst,  of  trying 
disappointments,  continued  year  after  year,  are 
related.  Anon,  gratitude  causes  the  tear  to  start  to 
our  eye  as  we  witness  the  love  that  prompts  the 
effort  to  win  the  heathen  to  the  Saviour,  and  see  the 
once  benighted  ones  clothed  and  subdued,  learning  in 
mind  and  heart  the  truth  of  the  Gospel.  Gratitude 
arises  that  we  have  men,  heroic  Christian  men,  who 
count  nothing  dear  to  them,  not  even  their  lives,  that 
they  may  win  sinners  to  the  love  of  Jesus  Christ. 
Such  an  one  was  he,  whose  memoir  we  present  to 

V 


VI  PREFACE. 

our  readers,  with  the  earnest  desire  that  his  strong 
faith  may  strengthen  ours,  that  his  quiet  courage  may 
excite  us  to  perseverance  in  well-doing,  and  that  his 
deliverance  from  manifold  and  very  real  dangers  may 
lead  us  to  place  reliance  upon  Him  in  whom  Moffat 
trusted,  and  who  never  forsakes  those  that  trust  in 
Him.  May  we  all  see,  and  especially  the  youth  of 
our  land,  as  we  read  the  records  of  such  noble  lives, 
that  true  godliness  detracts  not  from  true  manhood, 
but  rather  that  it  glorifies  and  ennobles  it,  until  evil 
is  overcome,  and  the  wicked  are  put  to  silence. 

In  writing  this  brief  sketch  of  the  life  of  the 
Rev.  Dr.  Moffat,  the  author  has  been  much  indebted 
to  those  who  have  trodden  the  path  before  him  ; 
especially  to  the  two  well-known  works,  "  Robert  and 
Mary  Moffat,"  by  their  son  John  S.  Moffat,  and  to 
Robert  Moffat's  own  book,  "  Missionary  Labours  and 
Scenes  in  South  Africa."  He  also  owes  his  acknow- 
ledgments to  "The  Missionary  Magazine,"  "The 
Chronicle  of  the  London  Missionary  Society,"  to  the 
Reports  of  various  Missionary  Societies,  "  A  Life's 
Labours  in  South  Africa,"  and  to  other  works  from 
which  information  upon  the  subject  has  been  gathered. 
To  the  two  first  named  the  author  especially  refers 
those  of  his  readers  who  wish  for  fuller  details  than 
are  given  in  this  volume. 


-^CONTENTS.'<s- 


CHAPTER 

I.  PIONEER   MISSIONS   IN   SOUTH   AFRICA,      . 

II.  CHILDHOOD   AND   YOUTH,  .  .  .  . 

III.  DEPARTURE   FOR  THE  CAPE,      . 

IV.  ISIARRIAGE   AND   ARRIVAL   AT   LATTAKOO, 
V.  THE    MANTATEE    INVASION, 

VI.   VISIT   TO    MAKABA, 

VII.   THE  AWAKENING, 

VIII.   VISIT   TO   ENGLAND,    .  .  .  .  . 

IX.  THE  SECHWANA   BIBLE,       .  .  .  . 

X.   CLOSING  SCENES, 

XI.   CONCLUSION, 


PAGE 

9 
i8 
27 

49 
63 
71 
86 

lOI 

118 
141 
ISO 


ROBERT    MOFFAT. 


CHAPTER    I. 


PIONEER   MISSIONS   IN   SOUTH   AFRICA. 

I^HE  history  of  missions  in  South  Africa  abounds 
in  interesting  facts  and  incidents.  Stories  of 
heroism,  strange  adventures,  and  descriptions 
of  journeyings  among  savage  tribes  and  through 
countries  frequented  by  beasts  of  prey,  form  part  of 
its  details.  Its  theme  is  love  to  God  and  love  to  man, 
and  its  facts  have  been  called  into  existence  through 
the  efforts  of  noble-minded  and  true-hearted  men  and 
women  to  bring  their  coloured  brethren  and  sisters  to 
the  knowledge  of  the  Saviour,  Jesus  Christ. 

Many  names  are  held  in  veneration  in  connection 
with  these  missions,  names  of  those  who,  having 
laboured  faithfully  upon  earth,  have  been  called  to 
their  reward  ;  among  these  none  stands  forward  with 
greater  prominence  than  that  of  Robert  Moffat. 

A  brief  glance  at  the  development  of  the  colon}-  at 
the  Cape  of  Good  Hope,  and  at  the  early  efforts  made 
to  evangelise  the  native  races,  may  enable  the  reader 

9 


10  ROBERT    MOFFAT. 

better  to  understand  the  work  carried  on  by  Robert 
Moffat,  and  the  success  achieved ;  also  to  realise 
something  of  the  position  of  affairs  when  he  first 
landed  in  South  Africa. 

Discovered  by  the  Portuguese  in  i486,  it  was  not 
until  the  middle  of  the  seventeenth  century  that 
much  was  done  in  the  way  of  European  colonisation. 
In  1652  the  bold  and  mountainous  promontory  of  the 
Cape  was  taken  possession  of  by  the  Dutch,  and  a 
settlement  was  founded  on  the  site  of  the  present 
Cape  Town.  The  earliest  colonists  were  chiefly  Dutch 
and  German  farmers;  who  were  joined  a  little  later 
on  by  numbers  of  French  and  Piedmontese  Huguenots, 
driven  from  their  native  lands  for  conscience'  sake. 

At  this  early  period  the  whole  of  what  is  now 
designated  the  Colony,  was  inhabited  by  Hottentots, 
a  people  lighter  in  colour  than  the  Kafirs  and 
Bechwanas,  having  pale  yellow-brown  skins,  symmetri- 
cal in  form  when  young,  hardy,  and  having  small  hands 
and  feet.  They  have  nomadic  tendencies  ;  and,  in 
their  uncivilised  state,  scarcely  practise  agriculture. 
Their  system  of  government  is  somewhat  patriarchal ; 
and  they  live  in  "kraals,"  or  villages,  consisting  of 
bee-hive  shaped  huts,'  arranged  in  circular  form. 
Their  ideas  of  a  Deity  are  extremely  faint,  they 
possess  little  in  the  nature  of  religious  ceremonies, 
but  the  power  of  sorcerers  among  them  is  great. 
According  to  the  locality  occupied,  they  are  known 
as  Hottentots,  Namaquas,  or  Corannas. 

As  the  European  colonists  increased  in  numbers, 
they  gradually  advanced  northward  and  eastward, 
either  driving  back  the  natives  or  subjugating  them 
as  slaves  to  their  service.  In  1806  the  colony  passed 
into  the  hands  of  the  English,  and,  after  a  season  of 
conflict,  the   Hottentots  within  the  British  territory 


PIONEER   MISSIONS   IN   SOUTH   AFRICA.  II 

were  emancipated.  This  act  of  justice  took  place  on 
17th  July,  1828. 

In  the  early  years  of  the  present  century,  the 
natives  of  South  Africa  comprised  —  besides  the 
Hottentots,  who  occupied  the  southern  portion  of  the 
country,  and  were  thinly  scattered,  to  the  north- 
west, in  Great  Namaqualand — the  Kafirs,  who  dwelt 
in  the  south-east,  beyond  the  Fish  River ;  the 
Basutos,  whose  kraals  were  south  of  the  Orange 
River  ;  the  Bechwanas  and  kindred  tribes  to  the  north 
of  that  river  ;  and  far  away  to  the  north-west,  beyond 
Namaqualand,  the  Damara  tribes,  of  whom  but  little 
was  known  at  that  time.  Besides  these,  there  were 
the  Bushmen,  a  roving  people,  small  in  stature,  and 
sunk  to  the  lowest  depths  of  barbarism,  hunted  down 
by  the  Dutch  farmers  like  wild  beasts,  who  had  their 
hands  turned  against  every  man,  and  every  man's 
hand  turned  against  them. 

To  the  Moravians  belongs  the  honour  of  first 
seeking  to  bring  the  natives  of  South  Africa  under 
the  influences  of  Christianity.  In  1737  George 
Schmidt,  who  had  been  sent  forth  by  the  small 
Moravian  church  of  Herrnhut,  arrived  in  Cape  Colony, 
and  at  Genadendal  (the  Vale  of  Grace),  then  known 
as  Bavian's  Kloof  (the  Glen  of  Baboons),  established 
a  mission  station,  where  he  laboured  among  the  de- 
spised and  oppressed  Hottentots  with  much  success  for 
seven  years.  His  work  excited  considerable  opposi- 
tion and  persecution.  He  gathered  a  small  Christian 
community  and  a  school ;  but  the  Boers,  or  Dutch 
farmers,  becoming  jealous  of  the  black  population 
receiving  education,  he  was  summoned  to  Holland, 
and  not  allowed  to  return. 

Fifty  years  elapsed  before  the  Brethren  were  able 
to  resume  their   work  ;    but  in    1792,  three  humble 


12  ROBERT   MOFFAT. 

Christian  artisans  recommenced  labour  at  Genadendal. 
The  occupation  of  the  colony  by  the  British  Govern- 
ment gave  security  to  their  mission,  and  it  soon  grew 
to  be  a  large  settlement,  and  a  centre  of  light  and 
civilisation  to  the  surrounding  country. 

In  1799  the  London  Missionary  Society  commenced 
work  in  Cape  Colony  ;  at  first  by  four  brethren,  who 
were  shortly  reinforced  by  Dr.  J.  P.  Vanderkemp,  a 
native  of  Holland,  a  man  of  rare  gifts  and  dauntless 
courage.  Successively  scholar,  cavalry  officer,  and 
physician,  he  was  for  some  years  a  sceptic,  but  being 
converted  through  the  drowning  of  his  wife  and  child, 
and  his  own  narrow  escape  from  death,  he  commenced 
the  earnest  study  of  the  Bible  and  the  Eastern  lan- 
guages, and  gained  such  wonderful  proficiency  in  the 
latter,  that  it  is  stated  he  had  a  fair  knowledge  of 
sixteen. 

Vanderkemp  chose  the  Kafir  tribes  for  his  field  of 
labour,  and  in  1799  proceeded  from  Graf  Reinet,  then 
the  most  distant  colonial  town,  and  that  nearest  to  the 
Kafirs,  to  the  head-quarters  of  that  people.  Fre- 
quently in  danger  of  his  life,  among  those  who  con- 
sidered the  murder  of  a  white  man  a  meritorious  deed, 
he  worked  and  endured  great  hardship  and  privation, 
that  he  might  make  known  the  truths  of  the  Gospel 
to  the  ignorant  around,  until  the  close  of  the  year 
1800,  when,  owing  to  a  rebellion  among  the  farmers, 
and  the  general  unsettled  state  of  the  frontier,  he  was 
compelled  to  relinquish  his  mission. 

Afterwards  he  laboured  among  the  Hottentots  of 
the  colony  with  rare  self-devotedness,  often  in  great 
straits  and  many  perils,  but  with  frequent  manifesta- 
tions of  the  Divine  blessing  upon  the  work  carried  on. 
Finally,  the  Hottentot  mission  was  transferred  to 
Bethelsdorp,  where  steady  progress  was  made.     The 


13 


14  ROBERT   MOFFAT. 

scholars  readily  learned  to  read  and  write,  and  their 
facility  in  acquiring  religious  knowledge  was  astonish- 
ing, considering  the  peculiar  apathy,  stupidity,  and 
aversion  to  any  exertion,  mental  or  corporeal,  which 
characterised  the  natives.  Dr.  Vanderkemp  died  in 
i8ii,  after  breathing  out  the  Christian  assurance, 
"  All  is  well." 

While  Dr.  Vanderkemp  bent  his  steps  towards 
Kafirland,  three  other  missionaries,  by  name  Kitcherer, 
Kramer,  and  Edwards,  proceeded  to  the  Zak  River, 
between  four  hundred  and  five  hundred  miles  north- 
east of  Cape  Town.  Here  a  mission  was  established 
to  the  Bushmen,  which,  although  unsuccessful  in  its 
original  intention,  became  the  finger-post  to  the 
Namaquas,  Corannas,  Griquas,  and  Bechwanas,  for  by 
means  of  that  mission  these  tribes  and  their  condition 
became  known  to  the  Christian  world.  After  moving 
from  their  original  location  to  the  Orange  River,  at 
the  invitation  of  a  Griqua  chief,  Berend  Berend  by 
name,  the  mission  was  carried  on  among  the  Corannas, 
Namaquas,  and  Bastards  (mixed  races),  finally  remov- 
ing in  1804  to  Griqua  Town,  where  it  developed  into 
the  Griqua  Mission,  under  Messrs.  Anderson  and 
Kramer,  and  became  a  powerful  influence  for  good  ; 
continuing  in  existence  for  many  years. 

Mr.  Anderson  thus  describes  the  condition  of  the 
Griquas  when  he  first  settled  in  their  midst,  and  for 
some  time  afterwards  : — 

"  They  were  without  the  smallest  marks  of  civilisa- 
tion. If  I  except  one  woman,  they  had  not  one 
thread  of  European  clothing  among  them  ;  and  their 
wretched  appearance  and  habits  were  such  as  might 
have  excited  in  our  minds  an  aversion  to  them,  had 
we  not  been  actuated  by  principles  which  led  us  to 
pity  them,  and  served  to  strengthen  us  in  pursuing 


PIONEER   MISSIONS   IN    SOUTH    AFRICA.  1 5 

the  object  of  our  missionary  work ;  they  were,  in 
many  instances,  Httle  above  the  brutes.  It  is  a  fact 
that  we  were  present  with  them  at  the  hazard  of  our 
lives.  When  we  went  among  them  they  lived  in  the 
habit  of  plundering  one  another ;  and  they  saw  no 
moral  evil  in  this,  nor  in  any  of  their  actions.  Violent 
deaths  were  common.  Their  usual  manner  of  living 
was  truly  disgusting,  and  they  were  void  of  shame." 

By  missionary  effort  these  unpromising  materials 
yielded  such  fruit,  that,  in  1809,  the  congregation  at 
Griqua  Town  consisted  of  800  persons,  who  resided  at 
or  near  the  station  during  the  whole  or  the  greater 
part  of  the  year.  Besides  their  stated  congrega- 
tions the  missionaries  were  surrounded  by  numerous 
hordes  of  Corannas  and  Bushmen,  among  whom  they 
laboured.  The  land  was  brought  under  cultivation, 
and  fields  waving  with  corn  and  barley  met  the  eye 
where  all  had  been  desolation  and  barrenness.  In 
1 8 10  a  threatened  attack  from  a  marauding  horde  of 
Kafirs  was  averted  in  answer  to  prayer.  Mr.  Janz, 
the  only  missionary  then  on  the  place,  with  the 
people,  set  apart  a  day  for  special  supplication  ;  they 
sent  a  pacific  message  and  present  to  the  Kafirs,  who 
immediately  retired.  In  place  of  war  there  was 
peace,  and  the  blessings  of  civilisation  followed  the 
preaching  of  the  Gospel. 

A  mission  had  also  been  commenced  by  the 
London  Missionary  Society  in  Great  Namaqualand, 
north  of  the  Orange  River,  on  the  western  coast  of 
Africa  ;  a  country  of  which  the  following  description 
was  given  by  an  individual  who  had  spent  many 
years  there :  "  Sir,  you  will  find  plenty  of  sand  and 
stones,  a  thinly  scattered  population,  always  suffering 
from  want  of  w^ater,  on  plains  and  hills  roasted  like  a 
burnt  leaf,  under  the  scorching  rays  of  a  cloudless  sun." 


1 6  ROBERT   MOFFAT. 

The  missionaries,  after  a  journey  of  great  difficult}^ 
and  suffering,  reached  the  land  of  the  Namaquas,  and 
halted  for  a  time  at  a  place  which  they  named  "  Silent 
Hope,"  and  then  at  "  Happy  Deliverance  ; "  finally 
they  settled  at  a  spot,  about  one  hundred  miles  west- 
ward of  Africaner's  kraal,  called  Warm  Bath.  Here, 
for  a  time,  their  prospects  continued  cheering.  They 
were  instant  in  season  and  out  of  season  to  advance 
the  temporal  and  spiritual  interests  of  the  natives  ; 
though  labouring  in  a  debilitating  climate ;  and  in 
want  of  the  common  necessaries  of  life.  Their  con- 
gregation was  increased  by  the  desperado  Jager, 
afterwards  Christian  Africaner,  a  Hottentot  outlaw, 
who,  with  part  of  his  people,  occasionally  attended  to 
the  instructions  of  the  missionaries  ;  and  they  visited 
the  kraal  of  this  robber  chieftain  in  return.  It  was 
here  that  he  first  heard  the  Gospel,  and,  referring 
afterwards  to  his  condition  at  this  time,  he  said  that 
he  saw  "  men  as  trees  walking." 

Terrible  trials  soon  came  upon  these  devoted 
missionaries.  Abraham  Albrecht,  one  of  their  number 
died,  and  Africaner,  becoming  enraged,  threatened  an 
attack  upon  the  station.  The  situation  of  the 
missionaries  and  their  wives  was  most  distressing. 
Among  a  feeble  and  timid  people,  with  scarcely  any 
means  of  defence,  a  bare  country  around,  no  mount- 
ain, glen,  or  cave  in  which  they  could  take  refuge, 
under  a  burning  sun  and  on  a  glowing  plain,  distant 
two  hundred  miles  from  the  abodes  of  civilised  men, 
between  which  and  them  lay  the  dreary  wilderness 
and  the  Orange  River  ;  such  was  their  position,  with 
the  human  lion  in  his  lair,  ready  to  rouse  himself  up 
to  deeds  of  rapine  and  blood. 

For  a  whole  month  they  were  in  constant  terror, 
hourly  expecting  the  threatened  attack.     Their  souls 


PIONEER    MISSIONS    IN    SOUTH   AFRICA.  \J 

revolted  at  the  idea  of  abandoning  the  people,  who 
were  suffering  from  want,  to  become  a  prey  to  a  man 
from  whom  they  could  expect  no  quarter.  On  one 
occasion  they  dug  a  square  hole  in  the  ground,  about 
six  feet  deep,  that  in  case  of  an  attack  they  might 
escape  the  musket  balls.  In  this  they  remained  for 
the  space  of  a  week,  having  the  tilt  sail  of  a  waggon 
thrown  over  the  mouth  of  the  pit  to  keep  off  the 
burning  rays  of  an  almost  vertical  sun.  Eventually 
they  withdrew  northward  to  the  base  of  the  Karas 
mountains,  but  finding  it  impossible  to  settle,  retired 
to  the  Colony. 

Africaner  approached  the  station,  and  finding  it 
deserted,  plundered  it  of  whatever  articles  could  be 
found  ;  one  of  his  followers  afterwards  setting  fire  to 
the  houses  and  huts.  Thus  for  a  season,  this  mission 
was  brought  to  a  close.  It  was  after  a  time  resumed 
at  a  place  south  of  the  Orange  River  named  Pella. 

Thus  missions  in  South  Africa  had  been  commenced, 
stations  among  the  Hottentots  and  others  had  been 
formed,  good  work  had  been  done,  and  the  way 
pioneered.  The  field  was  opened  and  it  was  wide, 
but  as  yet  the  labourers  were  few. 

At  the  time  when  Vanderkemp  closed  his  eyes  on 
this  world,  a  lad  was  working  as  an  apprentice  to  a 
Scotch  gardener,  rising  in  the  dense  darkness  of  the 
cold  winter's  mornings  at  four  o'clock,  and  warming 
his  knuckles  by  knocking  them  against  the  handle  of 
his  spade.  He  was  passing  through  a  hard  training, 
but  this  lad  was  being  prepared  to  take  up  the  work 
which  Vanderkemp  had  so  well  begun,  though  in  a 
somewhat  different  sphere,  and  to  repair  the  loss 
which  had  been  sustained  by  the  missionary  cause 
through  his  death.  The  name  of  this  lad  was  Robert 
Moffat. 


CHAPTER  II. 


CHILDHOOD  AND  YOUTH. 


ROBERT  MOFFAT  was  born  on  the  21st  of 
December,  1795.  His  parents  dwelt  at  that 
time  at  Ormiston,  in  East  Lothian,  Scotland. 
They  were  pious  God-fearing  people ;  the 
mother  though  holding  a  stern  religious  faith,  yet 
possessed  a  most  tender  loving  heart,  and  very  early 
sought  to  instil  into  the  minds  and  hearts  of  her 
children  the  love  of  God  and  a  knowledge  of  the 
Holy  Scriptures. 

Of  the  early  childhood  of  the  future  missionary 
very  little  is  stated.  In  1797  his  father  received  an 
appointment  in  the  Custom  House  at  Portsoy,  and  in 
1806  the  home  of  the  Moffats  was  at  Carronshore,  on 
the  Firth  of  Forth.  At  this  time  the  family  consisted 
of  four  sons  and  two  daughters,  besides  the  subject  of 
this  memoir. 

A  glimpse  of  the  interior  of  their  cottage,  during 
the  long  winter  evenings,  is  given,  which  shows  how 
the  mother  by  her  gentle  influence  may  become  the 
means  of  sowing  seed,  which  shall  spring  up  in  after 
years  bearing  fruit  a  hundred-fold.  The  lads  were 
gathered  by  the  fireside  learning  to  knit  and  sew,  and 
18 


CHILDHOOD   AND   YOUTH.  I9 

while  SO  engaged  their  mother,  who  took  great 
interest  in  the  missionary  enterprises  then  carried  on, 
read  aloud,  in  such  publications  as  she  could  obtain, 
the  descriptions  given  of  the  work  and  sufferings  of 
the  pioneer  labourers  in  heathen  lands,  more  especially 
of  the  Moravians  in  Greenland  and  the  East  Indies. 

Of  educational  advantages,  Robert  had  but  few  in 
his  early  days.  One,  "Wully  Mitchell,"  as  he  was 
popularly  called,  the  parish  schoolmaster  was  his  first 
tutor  ;  and  "  the  Shorter  Catechism,"  the  title-page  of 
which  contained  the  alphabet,  his  first  instruction 
book.  His  progress  was  but  slow,  his  hands  often 
being  made  to  suffer  for  the  dulness  of  his  brains. 
A  boy  living  in  the  midst  of  shipping,  his  desires  were 
more  for  nautical  matters  than  for  Wully's  books,  and 
so  he  ran  off  to  sea.  The  captain  of  the  ship  on  which 
he  was,  became  much  attached  to  the  lad,  so  with  his 
parent's  consent,  he  made  several  voyages  in  the 
coasting  trade.  Many  hairbreadth  escapes  fell  to  his 
lot,  and  at  last  he  quitted  the  sea,  as  he  states  "  to  the 
no  small  joy  of  my  parents." 

When  about  eleven  he  accompanied  his  elder 
brother,  Alexander,  to  Mr.  Paton's  school  at  Falkirk. 
This  school  was  for  writing  and  book-keeping,  but 
such  as  chose  to  pay  received  lessons  in  astronomy 
and  geography  after  school  hours.  Alexander  was 
one  of  these,  and  Robert  was  allowed  to  wait  for  his 
brother  in  the  large  room  while  the  class  was  being 
conducted.  "  I  felt  queer,"  he  tells  us  "  to  know  what 
the  master  was  doing  within  the  circle,  and  used  to 
look  very  attentively  through  any  little  slip  of  an 
opening  under  an  elbow,  while  I  eagerly  listened  to 
the  illustrations  given,  the  master  all  the  while  never 
suspecting  that  I  was  capable  of  understanding  the 
planetary  system.     What  I  could  not  understand  my 


20  ROBERT   MOFFAT. 

brother  explained  on  our  way  home."     In  this  manner 
he  picked  up  some  knowledge  of  astronomy. 

At  this  school  the  lad  continued  for  six  months. 
It  was  the  last  he  ever  attended. 

When  about  fourteen,  Robert  Moffat  was  appren- 
ticed to  a  gardener,  named  John  Robertson,  a  just 
but  hard  man,  who  lived  at  Parkhill,  Polmont.  The 
toil  was  severe  and  the  food  scanty.  Often  in  the 
bitter  cold  of  a  Scottish  winter  the  lads  employed 
were  required  to  commence  work  at  four  o'clock  in  the 
morning,  and  had  to  hammer  their  knuckles  against 
the  handles  of  their  spades  to  try  and  bring  some  feel- 
ing into  them.     Here  he  remained  till  the  end  of  1812. 

While  thus  engaged,  he  managed  to  attend  an 
evening  class  occasionally,  and  made  an  attempt  at 
learning  Latin  and  mensuration.  He  also  picked  up 
some  knowledge  of  the  smith's  craft,  and  acquired 
sufficient  skill  to  play  a  little  on  the  violin.  A 
special  craving,  which  stood  him  in  good  stead  in 
after  life,  impelled  him  to  learn  something  of  what- 
ever he  came  in  contact  with. 

Upon  the  completion  of  his  apprenticeship,  in  1812, 
he  obtained  a  situation  at  Donibristle,  a  seat  of  the 
Earl  of  Moray  at  Aberdour.  Here,  he  delighted  his 
fellow-workers  of  an  evening  by  his  violin  perform- 
ances, was  fond  of  athletic  sports,  in  which  he  excelled, 
and  became  an  accomplished  swimmer,  saving  the 
life  of  one  of  his  companions,  who  having  got  out  of 
his  depth  was  in  imminent  danger  of  drowning. 

In  this  situation  he  continued  about  a  twelvemonth, 
and  then,  being  about  sixteen,  he  found  employment 
as  under-gardener  to  Mr.  Leigh,  of  High  Leigh, 
in  Cheshire.  While  at  Donibristle  he  had  been  able 
to  frequently  visit  his  parents  ;  the  time  had  now 
come  when  he  must  bid  them  adieu. 


CHILDHOOD   AND   YOUTH.  21 

The  parting  scene  between  Robert  and  his  mother 
has  been  sketched  by  his  own  hand  and  appeared  in 
the  Bible  Society's  "  Gleanings  for  the  Young."  It  is 
described  as  follows  : — 

"  When  we  came  within  sight  of  the  spot  where  we 
were  to  part,  perhaps  never  again  to  meet  in  this 
world,  she  said — 

" '  Now,  my  Robert,  let  us  stand  here  for  a  few 
minutes,  for  I  wish  to  ask  one  favour  of  you  before  we 
part,  and  I  know  you  will  not  refuse  to  do  what  your 
mother  asks.' 

" '  What  is  it,  mother  ?  '  I  inquired. 

" '  Do  promise  me  first  that  you  will  do  what  I  am 
now  going  to  ask,  and  I  shall  tell  you.' 

" '  No,  mother,  I  cannot  till  you  tell  me  what  your 
wish  is.' 

*"0  Robert,  can  you  think  for  a  moment  that 
I  shall  ask  you,  my  son,  to  do  anything  that  is  not 
right  ?     Do  not  I  love  you  ? ' 

" '  Yes,  mother,  I  know  you  do  ;  but  I  do  not  like  to 
make  promises  which  I  may  not  be  able  to  fulfil.' 

"  I  kept  my  eyes  fixed  on  the  ground.  I  was  silent, 
trying  to  resist  the  rising  emotion.  She  sighed 
deeply.  I  lifted  my  eyes  and  saw  the  big  tears  rolling 
down  the  cheeks  which  were  wont  to  press  mine. 
I  was  conquered,  and  as  soon  as  I  could  recover 
speech,  I  said — 

" '  O  mother !  ask  what  you  will  and  I  shall  do  it.' 

" '  I  only  ask  you  whether  you  will  read  a  chapter  in 
the  Bible  every  morning  and  another  every  evening  ? ' 

"  I  interrupted  by  saying, '  Mother,  you  know  I  read 
my  Bible.' 

" '  I  know  you  do,  but  you  do  not  read  it  regularly, 
or  as  a  duty  you  owe  to  God,  its  Author.'  And  she 
added  :  '  Now  I  shall  return  home  with  a  happy  heart, 


22  ROBERT  MOFFAT. 

inasmuch  as  you  have  promised  to  read  the  Scriptures 
daily.  O  Robert,  my  son,  read  much  in  the  New 
Testament.  Read  much  in  the  Gospels — the  blessed 
Gospels  ;  then  you  cannot  well  go  astray.  If  you  pray, 
the  Lord  Himself  will  teach  you.' 

"  I  parted  from  my  beloved  mother,  now  long  gone 
to  that  mansion  about  which  she  loved  to  speak.  I  went 
on  my  way,  and  ere  long  found  myself  among  strangers. 
My  charge  was  an  important  one  for  a  youth,  and 
though  possessing  a  muscular  frame  and  a  mind  full 
of  energy,  it  required  all  to  keep  pace  with  the  duty 
which  devolved  upon  me.  I  lived  at  a  considerable 
distance  from  what  are  called  the  means  of  grace,  and 
the  Sabbaths  were  not  always  at  my  command. 
I  met  with  none  who  appeared  to  make  religion  their 
chief  concern.  I  mingled,  when  opportunities  offered, 
with  the  gay  and  godless  in  what  are  considered 
innocent  amusements,  where  I  soon  became  a  favour- 
ite ;  but  I  never  forgot  my  promise  to  my  motJierr 

After  several  delays.  High  Leigh  was  reached  on 
Saturday,  26th  December,  181 3,  and  there  the  young 
man  found  himself  surrounded  by  a  genial  atmosphere. 
The  head  gardener  took  to  him,  and  soon  left  a  great 
deal  in  his  hands.  This  made  his  work  very  heavy 
and  responsible ;  but,  although  labouring  almost  day 
and  night,  he  yet  managed  to  devote  some  time  to  the 
study  of  such  books  as  he  could  obtain.  The  kindly 
notice  of  Mrs.  Leigh  was  attracted  to  him,  and  she  lent 
him  books,  and  encouraged  him  to  studious  pursuits. 

In  very  early  years  serious  impressions  had  been 
made  upon  the  heart  of  Robert  Moffat.  The  earnest 
teachings  of  his  minister,  combined  with  his  mother's 
counsels  and  prayers,  left  recollections  which  could 
never  be  effaced.  These  impressions  were  now  to  be 
deepened,  and  the  good  seed  that  had  been  sown  to 


CHILDHOOD  AND  YOUTH.  23 

be  quickened.  The  Wcsleyan  Methodists  had  com- 
menced a  good  work  at  High  Leigh,  and  a  pious 
Methodist  and  his  wife  induced  Moffat  to  attend  some 
of  their  meetings.  He  became  convinced  of  his  state 
as  a  sinner,  and  unhappy,  but  after  a  severe  and  pro- 
tracted struggle,  he  found  pardon,  justification,  and 
peace,  through  faith  in  Jesus  Christ,  and  henceforth 
his  life  was  devoted  to  the  service  of  his  Lord.  Ener- 
getically he  threw  himself  into  the  society  and  work 
of  his  new  friends,  but  by  so  doing,  lost  the  goodwill 
of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Leigh,  who  were  grieved  that  one  in 
whom  they  took  so  much  interest  should  have  become 
a  Methodist.  So  were  these  good  people  despised  by 
many  in  those  days. 

At  this  time  Robert's  worldly  prospects  were 
brightening,  and  a  position  of  honour  and  comfort 
seemed  opening  before  him.  But  the  anticipations  of 
that  day  were  not  to  be. 

Apparently  unim.portant  events  frequently  deter- 
mine the  whole  course  of  our  lives,  and  a  simple 
incident  was  now  about  to  change  the  current  of  this 
young  man's  life,  and  to  convert  the  rising  gardener 
into  the  God-honoured  and  much-beloved  missionary. 
How  this  came  to  pass  we  now  relate  : 

While  at  High  Leigh,  Robert  Moffat  had  occasion 
to  visit  Warrington,  a  town  about  six  miles  distant. 
He  set  off  one  calm  summer  evening.  All  nature 
seemed  at  rest,  and  thoughts  of  God  and  a  feeling 
of  admiration  for  His  handiworks  took  possession 
of  the  young  man's  mind.  His  life  was  reviewed, 
and  with  thoughts  full  of  hope  he  entered  the  town. 
Passing  over  a  bridge  he  noticed  a  placard.  It 
contained  the  announcement  of  a  missionary  meeting, 
over  which  the  Rev.  William  Roby,  of  Manchester, 
was  to  preside.     He  had  never  seen  such  an  announce- 


24  ROBERT   MOFFAT. 

mcnt  before.  He  read  the  placard  over  and  over 
again,  and,  as  he  did  so,  the  stories  told  by  his  mother 
of  the  Moravian  missionaries  in  Greenland  and  Labra- 
dor, which  had  been  forgotten  for  years,  came  vividly 
to  mind.  From  that  moment,  his  choice  was  made  ; 
earthly  prospects  vanished :  his  one  thought  was, 
"  how  to  become  a  missionary  ?  " 

Many  difficulties  seemed  to  stand  in  the  way 
between  Robert  and  the  accomplishment  of  his  desire, 
but  the  same  Divine  power  which  had  implanted  the 
desire,  prepared  the  way  for  its  fulfilment.  He  visited 
Manchester,  shortly  after  the  event  just  related,  to  be 
present  at  a  Wesleyan  Conference ;  and  while  there, 
with  much  hesitancy  and  trepidation,  ventured  to 
knock  at  the  door  of  Mr.  Roby's  house  and  request 
an  interview  with  that  gentleman.  He  was  shown 
into  the  parlour,  and  the  man  whom  he  had  been 
hoping,  yet  dreaded,  to  see,  quickly  made  his 
appearance.  "  He  received  me  with  great  kind- 
ness," said  Moffat,  "listened  to  my  simple  tale, 
took  me  by  the  hand,  and  told  me  to  be  of  good 
courage." 

The  result  of  this  interview  was  a  promise  on  Mr. 
Roby's  part  to  write  to  the  Directors  of  the  London 
Missionary  Society  concerning  him,  and  to  communi- 
cate their  wishes  to  him  as  soon  as  they  were  received. 
In  the  meantime  Robert  returned  to  his  ordinary 
occupation. 

After  waiting  a  few  weeks  a  summons  came  from 
Mr.  Roby  for  Moffat  to  visit  Manchester  again  ;  and, 
with  the  view  of  his  studying  under  the  care  and 
instruction  of  that  reverend  gentleman,  it  was  arranged 
that  he  should  accept  a  situation  in  a  nursery  garden 
belonging  to  Mr.  Smith,  at  Dukinfield,  that  place 
being  near  at  hand.     Moffat  continued  here  about  a 


CHILDHOOD  AND   YOUTH.  2$ 

year,  visiting  Mr.  Roby  once  or  twice  each  week. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Smith  were  a  pious  and  worthy  couple, 
and  their  house  was  a  house  of  call  for  ministers. 
They  were  always  ready  for  every  good  work  whether 
at  home  or  abroad. 

"  In  all  thy  ways  acknowledge  Him,  and  He  shall 
direct  thy  paths,"  is  one  of  the  maxims  of  Holy  Writ 
that  should  be  engraven  upon  the  heart  and  mind  of 
every  youth  and  maiden.  Robert  Moffat's  desire  was 
for  the  glory  of  God  and  the  extension  of  the 
Redeemer's  kingdom,  and  God  was  not  only  opening 
the  way  for  His  servant,  but  was  preparing  a  faithful 
and  devoted  helpmate  for  him  in  his  various  spheres 
of  labour  through  life. 

Robert's  employer  had  an  only  daughter,  named 
Mary,  beautiful  of  countenance,  but  more  beautiful  in 
heart.  She  had  been  educated  at  the  Moravian  school 
at  Fairfield,  and  was  distinguished  for  fervent  piety 
and  deep  sympathy  with  the  missionary  cause.  The 
two  young  folks  were  thrown  together,  mutual  esteem 
deepened  into  love,  and  the  maiden,  possessed  with  so 
large  a  missionary  spirit,  was  prepared  to  share  the  lot 
of  the  young  herald  of  the  Cross.  For  a  time,  how- 
ever, it  was  ordained  that  Robert  should  pursue  his 
course  alone. 

After  being  at  Dukinfield  nearly  a  year,  the  Direc- 
tors resolved  to  accept  the  services  of  Robert  Moffat. 
He  left  Mr.  Smith's  employment  and  removed  to 
Manchester,  so  that  he  might  be  close  to  Mr.  Roby, 
to  receive  such  superintendence  as  was  possible  in  his 
studies.  This  period  extended  to  but  a  few  months, 
so  that  of  college  training  and  opportunities  Robert 
had  little  experience. 

The  time  rapidly  drew  near  for  his  departure  abroad. 
A  hurried  visit  was  paid  to  the  parents  whom  he  never 


26 


ROBERT   MOFFAT. 


expected  to  see  again,  and  then  he  awaited  his  call  to 
the  mission  field. 

On  the  13th  of  September,  18 16,  after  bidding  fare- 
well to  Mr.  Roby,  whose  "  kindness,  like  that  of  a 
father,"  wrote  Moffat,  "  will  not  be  easily  obliterated 
from  my  mind,"  he  started  for  London.  While  in  the 
Metropolis  he  visited  the  Museum  at  the  Rooms  of  the 
London  Missionary  Society,  and  the  following  extract 
from  a  letter  to  his  parents,  in  connection  with  this 
visit,  shows  the  spirit  which  actuated  the  youthful 
missionary  at  this  time  : — 

"  I  spent  some  time  in  viewing  the  Museum,  which 
contains  a  great  number  of  curiosities  from  China, 
Africa,  the  South  Seas,  and  the  West  Indies.  It  would 
be  foolish  for  me  to  give  you  a  description.  Suffice  it 
to  say  that  the  sight  is  truly  awful,  the  appearance  of 
the  wild  beasts  is  very  terrific,  but  I  am  unable  to 
describe  the  sensations  of  my  mind  when  gazing  on 
the  objects  of  Pagan  worship.  Alas !  how  fallen  are 
my  fellow-creatures,  bowing  down  to  forms  enough  to 
frighten  a  Roman  soldier,  enough  to  shake  the 
hardest  heart.  Oh  that  I  had  a  thousand  lives, 
and  a  thousand  bodies ;  all  of  them  should  be 
devoted  to  no  other  employment  but  to  preach 
Christ  to  these  degraded,  despised,  yet  beloved 
mortals." 

With  such  enthusiasm  he  prepared  to  enter  upon 
the  work  that  lay  before  him. 


CHAPTER  III. 

DEPARTURE   FOR   THE   CAPE. 

THE  valedictory  service  was  held  at  Surrey  Chapel 
on  the  30th  of  September.  Nine  missionaries 
were  set  apart ;  four  for  the  South  Seas,  one  of 
whom  was  John  Williams,  the  martyr  of 
Erromanga,  and  five  for  South  Africa.  At  first  it 
had  been  intended  that  Robert  Moffat  should  accom- 
pany John  Williams,  but  this  was  subsequently 
altered. 

The  missionaries  for  Africa  embarked  at  Gravesend 
on  the  1 8th  of  October  in  the  Alacrity,  and  after  a 
prosperous  voyage  reached  Cape  Town  on  the  13th 
of  January,  18 17. 

Two  of  the  party  were  appointed  to  stations  within 
the  colony  ;  Moffat  and  Kitchingman  were  destined 
for  Namaqualand.  Before  they  could  proceed  on 
their  journey,  however,  permission  had  to  be  obtained 
from  the  Government,  and  this  was  at  first  refused. 

While  detained  in  the  colony,  Moffat  lodged  with  a 

Dutch  farmer,  at  a  village  thirty-six  miles  from  Cape 

Town,  named  Stellenbosch.    Here  he  learnt  Dutch,  an 

acquisition  of  great  advantage  to  him  in  after  life,  as 

it  enabled   him  to  preach  to  the   Boers,  and  to  as 

27 


28  ROBERT   MOFFAT. 

many  of  their  native  servants  as  understood  that 
language.  He  also  accompanied  the  Rev.  George 
Thom,  of  the  Dutch  Reformed  Church,  on  an  evan- 
gelistic tour.  It  occupied  six  weeks,  during  which 
time  they  rode  a  distance  of  about  seven  hundred 
miles. 

After  a  further  sojourn  at  Stellenbosch,  Moffat 
visited  Cape  Town,  and  busied  himself  in  gaining 
such  practical  knowledge  as  came  within  his  reach. 
He  also  visited  the  military  hospital  there.  Many  of 
the  soldiers  were  Scotch,  and  he  had  a  warm  heart 
for  soldiers,  his  brother  Alexander  having  gone  to 
India  in  the  ranks  some  years  before. 

At  last  the  requisite  permission  came,  and  Moffat 
and  Kitchingman  prepared  for  their  journey.  Waggons 
were  bought,  oxen  hired,  leave  taken  of  friends,  and 
on  the  22nd  of  September,  1817,  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Kitchingman,  Robert  Moffat,  and  a  missionary  named 
Ebner,  who,  for  a  time,  had  been  with  Africaner,  and 
who  had  come  to  Cape  Town  for  supplies,  set  out  on 
their  way  to  Namaqualand. 

The  history  of  the  Namaqualand  Mission  has  been 
sketched  in  outline  in  our  introductory  chapter. 
Africaner,  although  an  outlaw  and  a  terror  to  the 
farmers  of  the  colony,  had  a  respect  for  the  English. 
He  visited  the  missionaries  on  one  occasion,  prior  to 
their  removal  to  Warm  Bath,  and  said,  "  I  love  the 
English,  for  I  have  always  heard  that  they  are  the 
friends  of  the  poor  black  man."  He  also  sent  his 
children  to  them  for  instruction  ;  yet  subsequent 
events,  as  we  have  seen,  enraged  him,  and  led  him  to 
destroy  the  mission  station  at  Warm  Bath. 

The  Rev.  J.  Campbell,  in  his  first  visit  to  Africa, 
18 1 2- 18 14,  crossed  the  interior  of  the  continent  to 
Namaqualand.    During  his  journey,  he  found  in  every 


DEPARTURE   FOR   THE   CAPE.  29 

village  through  which  he  passed  the  terror  of  Afri- 
caner's name;  and  he  afterwards  said  "that  he  and  his 
retinue  never  were  so  afraid  in  their  lives."  From 
Pella,  where  the  mission  station  then  was,  Mr. 
Campbell  wrote  a  conciliatory  letter  to  Africaner,  in 
consequence  of  which  that  chieftain  agreed  to  receive 
a  missionary  at  his  kraal.  Mr.  Ebner  had  been  sent 
from  Pella,  and  had  been  labouring  for  a  short  time 
previous  to  his  visit  to  the  Cape  in  18 17.  Good  had 
been  accomplished,  Africaner  and  his  two  brothers, 
David  and  Jacobus,  had  been  baptised,  but  then  the 
situation  of  the  missionary  became  extremely  trying, 
he  lost  influence  with  the  people,  and  his  property, 
and  even  his  life,  were  in  danger. 

Soon  after  leaving  Cape  Town,  Mr.  Ebner  parted 
company  with  the  Kitchingmans  and  Moffat,  and 
they  pursued  their  way  alone.  The  details  of  the 
journey  illustrate  the  difficulties  of  travelling  in  South 
Africa  in  those  days.  "  In  perils  oft,"  aptly  expresses 
the  condition  of  the  missionary  in  his  wanderings, 
as  he  travelled  mile  after  mile,  often  over  dreary 
wastes  of  burning  sand,  famished  with  hunger,  parched 
with  thirst,  with  the  howl  of  the  hyena  and  the  roar 
of  the  lion  disturbing  his  slumbers  at  night,  and  with 
Bushmen,  more  savage  than  either,  hovering  near,  ever 
ready  to  attack  the  weak  and  defenceless. 

The  farmers,  from  whom  the  travellers  received 
hospitality  as  they  passed  the  boundaries  of  the 
colony,  were  very  sceptical  as  to  the  conversion  of 
Africaner,  and  gloomy  indeed  were  their  predictions 
as  to  the  fate  of  the  youthful  missionary  now  ventur- 
ing into  the  power  of  the  outlaw  chief  One  said 
Africaner  would  set  him  up  for  his  boys  to  shoot  at, 
another  that  he  would  strip  off  his  skin  to  make  a 
drum  with,  and  a  third  predicted  he  would  make  a 


30  ROBERT   MOFFAT. 

drinking-cup  of  his  skull.  A  kind  motherly  dame 
said,  as  she  wiped  the  tear  from  her  eye  and  bade  him 
farewell,  "  Had  you  been  an  old  man  it  would  have 
been  nothing,  for  you  would  soon  have  died,  whether 
or  no  ;  but  you  arc  young,  and  going  to  become  a 
prey  to  that  monster." 

On  one  occasion  Moffat  halted  at  a  farm  belonging 
to  a  Boer,  a  man  of  wealth  and  importance,  who  had 
many  slaves.  Hearing  that  he  was  a  missionary,  the 
farmer  gave  him  a  hearty  welcome,  and  proposed  in 
the  evening  that  he  should  give  them  a  service.  To 
this  he  readily  assented,  and  supper  being  ended,  a 
clearance  was  made,  the  big  Bible  and  the  psalm- 
books  were  brought  out,  and  the  family  was  seated. 
Moffat  inquired  for  the  servants,  "  May  none  of  your 
servants  come  in  ?  "  said  he. 

"  Servants  !  what  do  you  mean  ?  " 

"  I  mean  the  Hottentots,  of  whom  I  see  so  many  on 
your  farm." 

"  Hottentots  ! "  roared  the  man,  "  are  you  come  to 
preach  to  Hottentots  ?  Go  to  the  mountains  and 
preach  to  the  baboons ;  or,  if  you  like,  I  '11  fetch  my 
dogs,  and  you  may  preach  to  them." 

The  missionary  said  no  more  but  commenced  the 
service.  He  had  intended  to  challenge  the  "  neglect 
of  so  great  salvation,"  but  with  ready  wit  seizing  upon 
the  theme  suggested  by  his  rough  entertainer,  he  read 
the  story  of  the  Syrophenician  woman,  and  took  for 
his  text  the  words,  "  Truth,  Lord,  yet  the  dogs  eat  of 
the  crumbs  which  fall  from  their  masters'  table."  He 
had  not  proceeded  far  in  his  discourse  when  the 
farmer  stopped  him,  saying,  "  Will  Mynherr  sit  down 
and  wait  a  little,  he  shall  have  the  Hottentots." 

He  was  as  good  as  his  word,  the  barn  was  crowded, 
the     sermon    was     preached,    and    the     astonished 


DEPARTURE   FOR   THE   CAPE.  3 1 

Hottentots  dispersed.  "  Who,"  said  the  farmer, 
"hardened  your  hammer  to  deal  my  head  such  a 
blow  ?  I  '11  never  object  to  the  preaching  of  the 
Gospel  to  Hottentots  again." 

After  a  toilsome  march,  during  which  Mr.  Kitching- 
man  and  Moffat  took  it  in  turn  to  drive  the  cattle, 
losing  some  through  the  hyenas  by  the  way,  they 
reached  Bysondermeid,  to  which  station  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Kitchingman  had  been  appointed.  There  Robert 
stayed  one  month,  receiving  much  useful  information 
from  Mr.  Schmelen,  the  missionary  whom  Mr. 
Kitchingman  had  come  to  replace,  he  having  been 
ordered  to  Great  Namaqualand,  where  he  had 
laboured  before. 

At  length,  his  oxen  being  rested,  Robert  Moffat 
bade  adieu  to  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Kitchingman,  whose 
friendship  he  much  valued,  and  with  a  guide  and 
drivers  for  the  oxen  started  onward.  Their  way  led 
through  a  comparatively  trackless  desert,  and  they 
travelled  nearly  the  whole  night  through  deep  sand. 
Those  were  not  the  days  of  railway  trains,  and  travel- 
ling had  to  be  undertaken  in  cumbrous,  springless 
bullock-waggons,  several  spare  oxen  being  taken  to 
provide  for  losses  and  casualties.  Towards  morning 
the  oxen  were  so  exhausted  that  they  began  to  lie 
down  in  the  yoke  from  fatigue,  compelling  a  halt 
before  water  had  been  reached.  The  journey  was 
resumed  the  next  day,  but  still  no  water  could  be 
found. 

As  it  appeared  probable  that  if  they  continued  in 
the  same  direction,  they  would  perish  through  thirst, 
they  altered  their  course  to  the  northward,  but  the 
experiences  were  as  bad  as  before.  At  night  they  lay 
down  exhausted  and  suffering  extremely  from  thirst, 
and  the  next  morning  rose  at  an  early  hour  to  find  the 


32 


ROBERT    MOFFAT. 


oxen  incapable  of  moving  the  waggon  a  step  farther. 
Taking  them  and  a  spade  to  a  neighbouring  mountain, 
a  large  hole  was  dug  in  the  sand,  and  at  last  a  scanty 
supply  of  water  was  obtained.  This  resembled  the  old 
bilge- water  of  a  ship  for  foulness,  but  both  men  and 
oxen  drank  of  it  with  aviditv. 


WAGGON   TRAVELLING   IN   SOUTH   AFRICA- 

In  the  evening,  when  about  to  yoke  the  oxen  to  the 
waggon,  it  was  found  that  most  of  them  had  run  off 
towards  Bysondermcid.  No  time  was  to  be  lost,  so 
Moffat  instantly  sent  off  the  remaining  oxen  with  two 
men  to  solicit  assistance  from  Mr.  Bartlett  at  Pella, 


34  "  ROBERT   MOTFAT. 

while  he  remained  behind  with  his  goods.  "Three 
days,"  said  he  afterwards,  "  I  remained  with  my 
waggon-driver  on  this  burning  plain,  with  scarcely  a 
breath  of  wind,  and  what  there  was  felt  as  if  coming 
from  the  mouth  of  an  oven.  We  had  only  tufts  of  dry 
grass  to  make  a  small  fire  or  rather  flame  ;  and  little 
was  needed  as  we  had  scarcely  any  food  to  prepare. 
We  saw  no  human  being,  not  a  single  antelope  or 
beast  of  prey  made  its  appearance,  but  in  the  dead  of 
night  we  sometimes  heard  the  roar  of  the  lion  on  the 
mountain.  At  last  when  we  were  beginning  to  fear 
that  the  men  had  either  perished  or  wandered, 
Mr.  Bartlett  arrived  on  horseback,  with  two  men 
having  a  quantity  of  mutton  tied  to  their  saddles. 
I  cannot  conceive  of  an  epicure  gazing  on  a  table 
groaning  under  the  weight  of  viands,  with  half  the 
delight  that  I  did  on  the  mutton." 

Fresh  oxen,  accustomed  to  deep  sand,  conveyed 
the  weary  travellers  to  Pella,  where  Moffat  remained 
a  few  days,  being  greatly  invigorated  in  mind  and 
body  by  the  Christian  kindness  of  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Bartlett  and  the  friendly  attentions  of  the  heathen 
converts. 

Starting  again,  he  came  to  the  Orange  River, 
crossing  which  was  generally  a  work  of  difficulty  at 
that  time.  The  native  teacher  from  Warm  Bath,  who 
had  come  to  Pella  to  conduct  Moffat  to  his  village, 
led  the  missionary  to  a  ford  opposite  to  that  place. 
The  waggon  and  its  contents  were  swam  over  on  a 
fragile  raft  of  dry  willow  logs — a  laborious  and 
tedious  operation,  the  raft  having  to  be  taken  to 
pieces  after  each  journey,  and  the  separate  logs  con- 
veyed back  again  by  swimmers.  All  the  goods  being 
over,  Robert  was  asked  to  place  himself  upon  the  raft. 
Not  altogether  liking  its  appearance,  and  also  wishing 


DEPARTURE    FOR   THE   CAPE.  35 

to  save  the  natives  trouble,  he  took  off  his  clothes 
and,  leaving  them  to  be  conveyed  across,  plunged  into 
the  stream.  The  natives  were  afraid  as  they  saw  him 
approach  the  middle  of  the  current,  and  some  of  their 
most  expert  swimmers  sprang  in  to  overtake  him,  but 
in  vain.  When  he  emerged  on  the  northern  bank, 
one  of  them  came  up  out  of  breath  and  said,  "  Were 
you  born  in  the  great  sea  water  ?  " 

Robert  Moffat  reached  Africaner's  kraal  on  the 
26th  of  January,  18 18,  and  was  kindly  received  by 
Mr.  Ebner.  The  chief  soon  made  his  appearance,  and 
inquired  if  the  new  missionary  had  been  appointed 
by  the  Directors  in  London.  Receiving  an  affirmative 
reply,  he  ordered  a  number  of  women  to  come.  Then 
pointing  to  a  spot  of  ground  he  said  to  the  women, 
"  There  you  must  build  a  house  for  the  missionary." 
In  half  an  hour  the  structure  was  completed,  in 
appearance  something  like  a  bee-hive.  In  this  frail 
house,  of  sticks  and  native  mats,  Moffat  lived  for 
nearly  six  months,  being  scorched  by  the  sun, 
drenched  by  the  rain,  exposed  to  the  wind,  and 
obliged  often  to  decamp  through  the  clouds  of  dust ; 
in  addition  to  which,  any  dog  wishing  for  a  night's 
lodging  could  force  its  way  through  the  wall,  some- 
times to  the  loss  of  the  missionary's  dinner  next  day. 
A  serpent  was  occasionally  found  coiled  in  a  corner, 
or  the  indweller  of  the  habitation  had  to  spring  up,  in 
the  middle  of  the  night,  to  save  himself  and  his  house 
from  being  crushed  to  pieces  during  the  nocturnal 
affrays  of  the  cattle  which  roamed  at  large.  He  lived 
principally  upon  milk  and  dried  meat,  until,  after  a 
time,  he  was  able  to  raise  a  little  grain  and  garden  stuff. 

A  few  days  after  Moffat's  arrival,  Mr.  Ebner 
departed,  so  that  the  young  missionary  was  left 
entirely  alone  in  a  trying  and  most  difficult  position, 


36  ROBERT   MOFFAT. 

a  stranger  in  the  midst  of  a  strange  people.  "  Here 
I  was,"  said  he,  "  left  alone  with  a  people  suspicious  in 
the  extreme  ;  jealous  of  their  rights  which  they  had 
obtained  at  the  point  of  the  sword  ;  and  the  best  of 
whom  Mr.  Ebner  described  as  a  sharp  thorn.  I  had 
no  friend  and  brother  with  whom  I  could  participate 
in  the  communion  of  saints,  none  to  whom  I  could 
look  for  counsel  or  advice.  A  barren  and  miserable 
country  ;  a  small  salary,  about  twenty-five  pounds  per 
annum.  No  grain,  and  consequently  no  bread,  and 
no  prospect  of  getting  any,  from  the  want  of  water  to 
cultivate  the  ground,  and  destitute  of  the  means  of 
sending  to  the  Colony.  These  circumstances  led  to 
great  searchings  of  heart,  to  see  if  I  had  hitherto 
aimed  at  doing  and  suffering  the  will  of  Him  in  whose 
service  I  had  embarked.  Satisfied  that  I  had  not  run 
unsent,  and  having  in  the  intricate,  and  sometimes 
obscure  course  I  had  come,  heard  the  still  small  voice 
saying,  '  This  is  the  way,  walk  ye  in  it,'  I  was  wont 
to  pour  out  my  soul  among  the  granite  rocks  surround- 
ing this  station,  now  in  sorrow,  and  then  in  joy  ;  and 
more  than  once  I  have  taken  my  violin,  once  belong- 
ing to  Christian  Albrecht,  and,  reclining  upon  one  of 
the  huge  masses,  have,  in  the  stillness  of  the  evening, 
played  and  sung  the  well-known  hymn,  a  favourite  of 
my  mother's — 

'  Awake,  my  soul,  in  joyful  lays, 
To  sing  the  great  Redeemer's  praise.' " 

Robert  Moffat  looked  to  his  God  for  help  and 
guidance,  and  his  heart  was  strengthened. 

At  this  period  the  chief.  Christian  Africaner,  was  in 
a  doubtful  state  of  mind  ;  while  Titus,  his  brother,  a 
man  of  almost  reckless  courage,  was  a  fearful  example 
of  ungodliness,  and  a  terror  to  most  of  the  inhabitants 


DEPARTURE  FOR  THE  CAPE.  37 

on  the  station.  Soon  after  the  commencement  of  his 
stated  services — which  were,  according  to  the  custom 
of  the  missionaries  at  that  period,  religious  service 
morning  and  evening,  and  school  for  three  or  four 
hours  during  the  day — the  heart  of  the  youthful 
missionary  was  much  cheered  by  noticing  the  regular 
attendance  of  the  chief  Although  not  a  fluent  reader, 
the  New  Testament  became  his  constant  companion, 
and  a  change  passed  over  him  apparent  to  all.  The 
lion  at  whose  name  many  trembled  became  a  lamb, 
and  the  love  of  Jesus  Christ  filled  his  heart.  He  who 
was  formerly  like  a  fire-brand,  spreading  discord, 
enmity,  and  war  among  the  neighbouring  tribes,  was 
now  ready  to  make  any  sacrifice  to  avoid  conflict,  and 
besought  parties  at  variance  with  each  other  to  be  at 
peace. 

Even  Titus  was  subdued,  and  although  he  never 
made  a  profession,  yet  he  became  a  steady  and 
unwavering  friend  to  the  missionary,  and  many  times 
ministered  to  his  wants.  "  I  hear  what  you  say,"  he 
would  reply  when  the  truth  was  pressed  upon  him, 
"  and  I  think  1  sometimes  understand,  but  my  heart 
will  not  feel."  Two  other  brothers  of  the  chief,  David 
and  Jacobus,  became  believers  and  zealous  assistants 
in  the  work  of  the  mission. 

The  extreme  heat  endured  in  the  native  house,  and 
the  character  of  the  food,  milk  and  meat  only,  brought 
on  a  severe  attack  of  bilious  fever,  which  in  the  course 
of  two  days  induced  delirium.  Opening  his  eyes  as 
soon  as  consciousness  returned,  Moffat  saw  his  attend- 
ant and  Africaner  sitting  beside  his  couch,  gazing 
upon  him  with  eyes  full  of  sympathy  and  tenderness. 
Taking  some  calomel  he  speedily  recovered,  and  was 
soon  at  his  post  again. 

The    place    where    Africaner    dwelt    being    quite 


38  ROBERT  MOFFAT 

unsuitable  for  a  permanent  mission-station,  on  account 
of  the  scarcity  of  water,  it  was  determined  to  take  a 
journey  northward  to  examine  a  country  on  the 
border  of  Damaraland,  where  it  was  reported  that 
fountains  of  water  abounded.  There  was,  however, 
only  one  waggon  and  that  a  cripple,  and  neither 
carpenters  nor  smiths  were  at  the  station  to  repair  it. 
Without  it  they  could  not  go,  so  after  thinking  the 
matter  over  Moffat  undertook  its  repair.  Before  doing 
so  he  must  needs  have  a  forge,  and  a  forge  meant 
bellows  ;  but  here  was  a  difficulty,  the  native  bellows 
were  of  no  use  for  he  work  in  hand.  He  therefore 
contrived,  by  means  of  two  goat-skins  and  a  circular 
piece  of  board,  to  make  a  pair  of  bellows  of  sufficient 
power  to  fan  the  fire  and  heat  the  iron  ;  and  with  a 
blue  granite  stone  for  an  anvil,  a  pair  of  tongs 
indicative  of  Vulcan's  first  efforts,  and  a  hammer, 
never  intended  for  its  present  use,  he  successfully 
accomplished  his  task  ;  and  afterwards  repaired  some 
gun-locks,  which  were  as  essential  for  the  comfort  and 
success  of  the  journey  as  the  waggon. 

The  party  that  set  out  was  a  large  one,  including 
Africaner,  three  of  his  brothers,  and  Moffat,  The 
country  which  they  passed  through  was  sterile  in  the 
extreme,  and  the  expedition  proved  a  failure.  They 
therefore  returned  home  again  after  an  absence  of 
a  few  weeks.  The  school  and  mission  services  were 
resumed,  but,  as  David  and  Jacobus  Africaner  were 
now  able  assistants,  Moffat  undertook  itinerating 
visits  on  a  more  extensive  scale  than  he  had  done 
before.  For  this  purpose  Titus  presented  him  with 
his  only  horse.  Previously  Moffat  had  ridden  upon  a 
bullock  with  horns,  a  dangerous  practice,  as,  if  the 
bullock  stumbles,  the  rider  may  be  thrown  forward 
and  transfixed  upon  them. 


DEPARTURE   FOR   THE   CAPE.  39 

Privations  and  dangers  frequently  attended  these 
itinerating  journeys.  Referring  to  one  of  them  Robert 
Moffat  states,  "  After  tying  my  Bible  and  hymn-book 
in  a  blanket  to  the  back  of  my  saddle,  and  taking  a 
good  draught  of  milk,  I  started  with  my  interpreter, 
who  rode  upon  an  ox.  We  had  our  guns,  but  nothing 
in  our  purse  or  scrip,  save  a  pipe,  some  tobacco,  and  a 
tinder-box.  After  a  hot  day's  ride  to  reach  a  village, 
the  people  would  give  us  a  draught  of  sweet  milk,  and 
then  old  and  young,  assembling  in  a  nook  of  the  fold, 
among  the  kine,  would  listen  to  my  address  on  the 
great  concerns  of  their  soul's  salvation.  I  exhorted 
those  who  could  read  to  read  to  others  and  try  to  teach 
them  to  do  the  same,  promising  them  a  reward  in 
heaven  ;  for  I  had  none  to  give  on  earth.  When 
service  was  over,  having  taken  another  draught  of 
milk,  and  renewed  my  conversation  with  the  people, 
I  lay  down  on  a  mat  to  repose  for  the  night.  Some- 
times a  kind  housewife  would  hang  a  bamboos,  a 
wooden  vessel  filled  with  milk,  on  a  forked  stick  near 
my  head,  that  I  might,  if  necessary,  drink  during  the 
night." 

Once  he  slept  on  the  ground  near  the  hut  in  which 
the  principal  man  of  the  village  and  his  wife  reposed. 
During  the  night  a  noise  as  of  cattle  broken  loose  was 
heard.  In  the  morning  he  remarked  upon  this  to  his 
host,  when  that  individual  replied,  "  Oh,  I  was  looking 
at  the  spoor  this  morning,  it  was  the  lion  ; "  adding 
that  a  few  nights  previously  a  goat  had  been  seized 
from  the  very  spot  on  which  Moffat  had  been  sleeping. 
Upon  Moffat  asking  him  why  he  had  put  him  to  sleep 
there,  the  man  replied,  "  Oh,  the  lion  would  not  have 
the  audacity  to  jump  over  on  you." 

Sometimes  it  happened  that  after  travelling  all  day, 
hoping  to  reach  a  village  at  night,  the  travellers  would 


40  ROBERT  MOFFAT. 

find  when  they  got  to  the  place  that  all  the  people  had 
gone.  Then  hungry  and  thirsty  they  had  to  pass  the 
night.  In  the  morning  after  searching  for  water,  and 
partaking  of  a  draught  if  they  were  successful  in 
finding  it,  they  would  start  off  again  with  their  hunger 
unsatisfied,  and  deem  themselves  fortunate  if  they  over- 
took the  migrating  party  that  evening. 

Of  his  ordinary  manner  of  living  at  this  time,  he 
says,  "  My  food  was  milk  and  meat,  living  for  weeks 
together  on  one,  and  then  for  a  while  on  the  other ; 
and  again  on  both  together.  All  was  well  so  long  as 
I  had  either,  but  sometimes  they  both  failed,  and 
there  were  no  shops  in  the  country  where  I  could 
have  purchased  ;  and,  had  there  been  any,  I  must 
have  bought  on  credit,  for  money  I  had  none." 

His  wardrobe  bore  the  same  impress  of  poverty  as 
his  larder.  The  clothes  received  when  in  London 
soon  went  to  pieces,  and  the  knowledge  of  sewing  and 
knitting,  unwillingly  learnt  from  his  mother,  often 
now  stood  him  in  good  stead.  She  once  showed  him 
how  a  shirt  might  be  smoothed  by  folding  it  properly 
and  hammering  it  with  a  piece  of  wood.  Resolving 
one  day  to  have  a  nice  one  for  the  Sabbath,  Moffat 
tried  this  plan.  He  folded  the  shirt  carefully,  laid  it 
on  a  smooth  block  of  stone — not  a  hearth-stone,  but 
a  block  of  fine  granite — and  hammered  away.  "  What 
are  you  doing?"  said  Africaner.  "Smoothing  my 
shirt,"  replied  his  white  friend.  "  That  is  one  way," 
said  he ;  and  so  it  was,  for  on  holding  the  shirt  up 
to  the  light  it  was  seen  to  be  riddled  with  holes. 
"  When  I  left  the  country,"  said  Moffat,  "  I  had  not 
half-a-dozen  shirts  with  two  sleeves  apiece." 

Robert  Moffat's  stay  in  Namaqualand  extended  to 
a  little  over  twelve  months.  Near  its  close  he  made 
on  Africaner's  account — with  the  view  of  ascertaining 


41 


42  ROBERT   MOFFAT. 

the  suitability  of  a  place  for  settlement — a  journey  to 
the  Griqua  country,  and  after  a  terrible  experience,  in 
which  he  suffered  from  hunger,  thirst,  heat,  and  drink- 
ing poisoned  water,  he  reached  Griqua  Town,  and 
entered  the  house  of  Mr.  Anderson,  the  missionary 
there,  speechless,  haggard,  emaciated,  and  covered 
with  perspiration,  making  the  inmates  understand  by 
signs  that  he  needed  water.  Here  he  was  most  kindly 
entertained,  and  after  a  few  days  started  back  again. 
The  return  journey  was  almost  as  trying  as  the  out- 
ward one,  but  he  reached  Vreede  Berg  (Africaner's 
village)  in  safety.  The  chief  received  Moffat's  account 
of  his  researches  with  entire  satisfaction,  but  the 
removal  of  himself  and  people  was  allowed  to  remain 
prospective  for  a  season. 

Missionary  labours  were  resumed.  The  school 
flourished,  and  the  attendance  at  the  Sabbath  services 
was  most  encouraging.  The  people  were  so  strongly 
attached  to  their  missionary,  that  although  he  was 
contemplating  a  visit  to  the  Cape,  he  dared  not  men- 
tion the  subject  to  them.  In  a  letter  written  at  this 
time,  alluding  to  his  every-day  life,  he  says,  "  I  have 
many  difficulties  to  encounter,  being  alone.  No  one 
can  do  anything  for  me  in  my  household  affairs. 
I  must  attend  to  everything,  which  often  confuses  me, 
and,  indeed,  hinders  me  in  my  work,  for  I  could  wish 
to  have  almost  nothing  to  do  but  to  instruct  the 
heathen,  both  spiritually  and  temporally.  Daily  1  do 
a  little  in  the  garden,  daily  I  am  doing  something  for 
the  people  in  mending  guns.  I  am  carpenter,  smith, 
cooper,  shoemaker,  miller,  baker,  and  housekeeper — 
the  last  is  the  most  burdensome  of  any.  An  old 
Namaqua  woman  milks  my  cows,  makes  a  fire,  and 
washes.  All  other  things  I  do  myself,  though  I 
seldom   prepare   anything   till    impelled    by   hunger. 


DEPARTURE   FOR   THE   CAPE.  43 

I  drink  plenty  of  milk,  and  often  eat  a  piece  of  dry 
meat.  Lately  I  reaped  nearly  two  bolls  of  wheat 
from  two  hatfuls  which  I  sowed.  This  is  of  great 
help  to  me.  I  shall  soon  have  plenty  of  Indian  corn, 
cabbages,  melons,  and  potatoes.  Water  is  scarce. 
I  have  sown  wheat  a  second  time  on  trial.  I  live 
chiefly  now  on  bread  and  milk.  To-day  I  churned 
about  three  Scotch  pints  of  milk,  from  which  there 
were  two  pounds  of  butter,  so  you  may  conceive  that 
the  milk  is  rich.  I  wish  many  times  that  my  mother 
saw  me.  My  house  is  always  clean,  but  oh  what  a 
confusion  there  is  among  my  linen." 

In  November,  1818,  letters  reached  Robert  Moffat 
from  England.  One  came  from  Miss  Smith,  in  which 
that  young  lady  stated  that  she  had  most  reluctantly 
renounced  hope  of  ever  getting  abroad,  her  father 
determining  never  to  allow  her  to  do  so.  This  was  a 
sore  trial,  but  it  only  led  the  child  closer  to  his  Father, 
and  that  Father,  who  doeth  all  things  well,  in  His  own 
good  time,  brought  to  pass  that  which  now  seemed 
impossible. 

Early  in  18 19,  circumstances  required  Mr.  Moffat 
to  visit  Cape  Town.  Conversing  with  Africaner  on 
the  state  and  prospects  of  missions,  the  idea  flashed 
into  Moffat's  mind  that  it  would  be  well  for  that  chief 
to  accompany  him,  and  he  suggested  it  to  his  coloured 
friend.  Africaner  was  astonished.  "  I  had  thought 
you  loved  me,"  said  he,  "  and  do  you  advise  me  to  go 
to  the  Government  to  be  hung  up  as  a  spectacle  of 
public  justice?  "  Then,  putting  his  hand  to  his  head, 
he  said,  "  Do  you  not  know  that  I  am  an  outlaw, 
and  that  one  thousand  rix-dollars  have  been  offered 
for  this  poor  head  ?  "  After  a  little  while  he  replied 
to  the  missionary's  arguments  by  saying,  "  I  shall 
deliberate  and    roll  (using  the  words  of  the    Dutch 


44 


ROBERT    MOFFAT. 


Version  of  the  Bible)  my  way  upon  the  Lord.     I  know 
He  will  not  leave  me." 

To  get  Africaner  safely  through  the  territories  of 
the  Dutch  farmers  to  the  Cape  was  a  hazardous  pro- 
ceeding, as  the  atrocities  he  had  committed  were  not 
forgotten,  and  hatred  against  him  still  rankled  in  many 
a  breast.     However,  attired  in  one  of  the  only  two 


fir,,"  Ji 


AFRICANER. 


substantial  shirts  Moffat  had  left,  a  pair  of  leather 
trousers,  a  duffel  jacket,  much  the  worse  for  wear,  and 
an  old  hat,  neither  white  nor  black,  the  attempt  was 
made,  the  chief  passing  as  one  of  the  missionary's 
attendants.  His  master's  costume  was  scarcely  more 
refined  than  his  own. 


DEPARTURE   FOR   THE   CAPE.  45 

As  a  whole,  the  Dutch  farmers  were  kind  and 
hospitable  to  strangers,  and  as  Moffat  reached  their 
farms,  some  of  them  congratulated  him  on  returning 
alive,  they  having  been  assured  that  Africaner  had 
long  since  murdered  him.  At  one  farm  a  novel  and 
amusing  instance  occurred  of  the  state  of  feeling  con- 
cerning them  both.  As  they  drew  near  to  this  place, 
Moffat  directed  his  men  to  take  his  waggon  to  the 
valley  below  while  he  walked  towards  the  house,  which 
was  situated  on  an  eminence.  As  he  advanced  the 
farmer  came  forward  slowly  to  meet  him.  Stretching 
forth  his  hand  with  the  customary  salutation,  the 
farmer  put  his  hand  behind  him,  and  asked  who  the 
stranger  was.  The  stranger  replied  that  he  was 
Moffat. 

"  Moffat !  "  exclaimed  the  sturdy  Boer  in  a  faltering 
voice,  "  it  is  your  ghost !  " 

"  I  am  no  ghost,"  said  the  supposed  phantom. 

"  Don't  come  near  me,"  said  the  farmer ;  "  you 
have  been  long  since  murdered  by  Africaner.  Every- 
body says  you  were  murdered,  and  a  man  told  me  he 
had  seen  your  bones." 

As  the  farmer  feared  the  presence  of  the  supposed 
ghost  would  alarm  his  wife,  both  wended  their  way  to 
the  waggon,  Africaner  being  the  subject  of  conversa- 
tion as  they  walked  along.  Moffat  declared  his 
opinion  that  the  chief  was  then  a  truly  good  man. 

"  I  can  believe  almost  anything  you  say,"  said  the 
Boer,  "  but  that  I  cannot  credit." 

Finally  he  closed  the  conversation  by  saying  with 
much  earnestness :  "  Well,  if  what  you  assert  be  true 
respecting  that  man,  I  have  only  one  wish,  and  that 
is  to  see  him  before  I  die  ;  and  when  you  return, 
as  sure  as  the  sun  is  over  our  heads,  I  will  go  with 
you  to  see  him,  though  he  killed  my  own  uncle." 


46  ROBERT   MOFFAT. 

The  farmer  was  a  good  man,  who  had  showed 
Moffat  kindness  on  his  way  to  Namaqualand.  Know- 
ing his  sincerity  and  the  goodness  of  his  disposition, 
Moffat  turned  to  the  man  sitting  by  the  waggon,  and 
addressing  the  farmer  said,  "  This,  then,  is  Africaner." 

With  a  start,  and  a  look  as  though  the  man  might 
have  dropped  from  the  clouds,  the  worthy  Boer 
exclaimed,  ^^ Axe yoit  Africaner?" 

Africaner  arose,  doffed  his  old  hat,  and  making  a 
polite  bow  replied,  "  I  am." 

The  farmer  seemed  thunderstruck,  but  on  realising 
the  fact,  lifted  up  his  eyes  and  said,  "  O  God,  what  a 
miracle  of  Thy  power !  what  cannot  Thy  grace 
accomplish !  " 

On  reaching  Cape  Town,  Robert  Moffat  waited 
upon  Lord  Charles  Somerset,  the  Governor,  and 
informed  him  that  Africaner  was  in  the  town.  The 
information  was  received  with  some  amount  of 
scepticism,  but  the  following  day  was  appointed  for 
an  interview  with  him. 

The  Governor  received  the  chief  with  great  affa- 
bility and  kindness,  and  expressed  his  pleasure  at 
thus  seeing  before  him,  one  who  had  formerly  been 
the  scourge  of  the  country,  and  the  terror  of  the 
border  colonists.  He  was  much  struck  with  this 
palpable  result  of  missionary  enterprise,  and  presented 
Africaner  with  an  excellent  waggon,  valued  at  eighty 
pounds. 

Moffat  visited  the  colony  on  this  occasion  with  two 
objects  ;  first,  to  secure  supplies,  and  secondly,  to 
introduce  Africaner  to  the  notice  of  the  Colonial 
Government.  Having  accomplished  these,  he  fully 
intended  to  return  to  his  flock.  Events  were,  how- 
ever, ordered  otherwise. 

While    Moffat   was    in    Cape   Town,  a  deputation 


DEPARTURE   FOR   THE   CAPE.  47 

from  the  London  Missionary  Society,  consisting  of 
the  Rev.  J.  Campbell,  and  the  Rev.  Dr.  Philip,  was 
also  there.  It  was  the  wish  of  these  two  gentleman 
that  he  should  accompany  them  in  their  visits  to  the 
missionary  stations,  and  eventually  be  appointed  to 
the  Bechwana  mission. 

The  proposition  was  a  startling  one,  but  after  care- 
ful thought,  and  with  the  entire  concurrence  of 
Africaner — who  hoped  to  move  with  his  tribe  to  the 
neighbourhood  of  the  new  mission — Moffat  accepted 
it.  Africaner  therefore  departed  alone,  generously 
offering  to  take  in  his  waggon  to  Lattakoo,  the  new 
station,  the  missionary's  books  and  a  few  articles  of 
furniture  that  he  had  purchased. 

Once  more  these  two  brethren  in  the  faith  met  on 
this  earth,  and  this  was  at  Lattakoo.  The  proposed 
removal  of  the  tribe,  however,  never  took  place, 
Africaner  being  called  up  higher  before  that  plan 
could  be  carried  out. 

The  closing  scene  in  the  life  of  this  remarkable 
man  was  depicted  by  the  Rev.  J.  Archbell,  Wesleyan 
missionary,  in  a  letter  to  Dr.  Philip,  dated  the  14th  of 
March,  1823  :— 

"  When  he  found  his  end  approaching,  he  called  all 
the  people  together,  and  gave  them  directions  as  to 
their  future  conduct.  '  We  are  not,'  said  he,  '  what  we 
were, — savages,  but  men  professing  to  be  taught 
according  to  the  Gospel.  Let  us  then  do  accordingly. 
Live  peaceably  with  all  men,  if  possible ;  and  if 
impossible,  consult  those  who  are  placed  over  you 
before  you  engage  in  anything.  Remain  together,  as 
you  have  done  since  I  knew  you.  Then,  when  the 
Directors  think  fit  to  send  you  a  missionary,  you  may 
be  ready  to  receive  him.  Behave  to  any  teacher  you 
may  have  sent  as  one  sent  of  God^  as   I  have  great 


48 


ROBERT    MOFFAT. 


hope  that  God  will  bless  you  in  this  respect  when 
I  am  gone  to  heaven.  I  feel  that  I  love  God,  and 
that  He  has  done  much  for  me,  of  which  I  am  totally 
unworthy.' 

"  He  also  added,  '  My  former  life  is  stained  with 
blood  ;  but  Jesus  Christ  has  pardoned  me,  and  I  am 
going  to  heaven.  Oh !  beware  of  falling  into  the 
same  evils  into  which  I  have  led  you  frequently  ;  but 
seek  God,  and  He  will  be  found  of  you  to  direct 
you.' " 

Shortly  after  this  he  died. 


CHAPTER  IV. 


MARRIAGE,   AND   ARRIVAL   AT    LATTAKOO. 

UP  to  this  time,  Robert  Moffat  had  pursued  his 
course  alone.  No  loving  helpmeet  had  cheered 
him  in  his  efforts,  or  with  womanly  tenderness 
ministered  to  his  wants.  But  though  far 
away,  he  was  fondly  remembered  and  earnestly  prayed 
for,  especially  by  one  noble  Christian  lady,  over  whose 
fair  head  scarce  twenty-three  summers  had  passed, 
and  whose  heart  had  been  torn  with  the  severe 
struggle,  between  filial  love  and  regard  for  her  parents 
on  the  one  hand,  and  her  sense  of  duty  and  affection 
for  her  missionary  friend  on  the  other,  which  for  two 
and  a-half  years  had  been  carried  on  therein. 

At  last,  when  hope  seemed  to  have  vanished,  the 
parents  of  Mary  Smith,  to  whom  the  idea  of  parting 
with  their  only  daughter  was  painful  in  the  extreme, 
saw  so  clearly  that  it  was  the  Lord  who  was  calling 
their  child  to  the  work  which  He  had  marked  out  for 
her,  that  they  felt  they  dare  not  any  longer  withhold 
her  from  it,  and  therefore  calmly  resigned  their 
daughter  into  His  hands.  Thus  it  came  to  pass  that, 
— after  a  short  stay  in  London,  and  at  Cowes,  in  the 
Isle  of  Wight,  at  which  places  she  won  all  hearts  b\' 

49  !-» 


50  ROBERT   MOFFAT. 

her  unfeigned  and  exalted  piety  and  zeal,  and  by  her 
modest,  affectionate  manner, — we  find  her  on  board 
the  sailing-ship  British  Colony^  on  her  way  to  South 
Africa,  in  the  care  of  the  Rev.  R.  Beck,  a  minister  of 
the  Dutch  Church,  and  his  wife. 

As  arranged,  the  deputation,  accompanied  by 
Robert  Moffat,  left  Cape  Town  on  their  tour  of 
inspection  of  the  stations  in  the  eastern  part  of  the 
Colony  and  in  Kafirland.  This  journey  necessitated  an 
absence  of  twelve  months,  during  which  time  Robert 
expected  his  bride  to  arrive.  This  was  a  trial  of  faith, 
as  it  seemed  hard  that  she  should  be  obliged  to  land 
in  a  strange  country,  and  find  none  of  her  own  to 
welcome  her.  But  with  Moffat  even  love  followed 
after  duty. 

It  so  happened,  however,  that  after  visiting  the  line 
of  stations  through  the  eastern  districts  as  far  as 
Bethelsdorp,  the  party,  at  that  place,  found  their 
progress  effectually  barred  through  war  with  the 
Kafirs.  They  were  therefore  obliged  to  return  to 
Cape  Town,  thus  giving  Moffat  the  opportunity  and 
great  joy  of  receiving  his  affianced  wife  upon  her 
landing  from  the  vessel.  She  reached  Cape  Town  in 
safety,  and  on  the  27th  of  December,  18 19,  the  happy 
couple  were  united.  They  received  each  other  as  from 
the  Lord,  and  for  more  than  fifty  years,  during  cloud 
and  sunshine,  their  union  was  a  true  and  blessed  one. 

Robert  Moffat  had  been  appointed  to  the  Bechwana 
station  at  Lattakoo,  or  Kuruman,  as  it  was  afterwards 
called  ;  and  for  that  place  the  missionary  party,  which 
consisted  of  the  Rev.  John  Campbell  and  the  Moffats, 
set  out  early  in  the  year  1820. 

A  feeble  attempt  to  establish  a  mission  to  the 
Bechwanas  had  been  made,  by  the  Dutch  Missionary 
Society  in  Cape  Town,  as  early  as  A.D.  1800,  and  two 


MARKTAGE,   AND   ARRIVAL    AT   LATTAKOO.        5 1 

missionaries,  named  Edwards  and  Kok,  had  been 
despatched.  They  were  directed  by  the  chief  to 
settle  on  the  banks  of  the  Kuruman  River,  at  a 
distance  from  the  natives,  and  the  effort  degenerated 
into  a  mere  trading  concern.  In  1805,  the  Bechwanas 
were  visited  by  the  celebrated  traveller  Dr.  Lichten- 
stein,  and,  in  181 2,  by  Dr.  Burchell,  but  it  was  not 
until  the  visit  of  the  Rev.  J.  Campbell,  a  little  later,  that 
any  real  negotiations  were  entertained  for  the  settle- 
ment of  missionaries  with  this  people.  The  chief, 
Mothibi,  then  said  to  Mr.  Campbell,  "send  mission- 
aries, and  I  will  be  a  father  to  them." 

In  response  to  this  invitation  Messrs.  Evans  and 
Hamilton  left  England  in  181 5,  and,  full  of  hope, 
reached  Lattakoo  on  the  17th  of  February  in  the 
following  year.  Instead  of  being  received  as  they 
anticipated,  they  were  repulsed,  and  directed  to  settle 
at  the  Kuruman  River,  thirty  miles  distant.  Dis- 
appointed and  despondent  they  returned  to  Griqua 
Town.  Mr.  Evans  relinquished  the  mission,  but  a 
further  attempt  was  made  afterwards  by  Messrs.  Read 
and  Hamilton,  and  this  time  permission  was  obtained 
for  them  to  dwell  with  the  chief  and  his  people. 
Thus  the  Bechwana  Mission  obtained  its  first  real 
footing. 

In  June,  18 17,  the  tribe,  under  Mothibi,  removed  from 
the  position  where  the  missionaries  first  found  it,  and 
settled  by  the  Kuruman  River.  When  the  Rev.  J. 
Campbell  returned  to  the  Colony,  Mr.  Read  accom- 
panied him  ;  thus,  pending  the  arrival  of  Robert  Moffat, 
Mr.  Hamilton  was  left  alone  in  charge  of  the  mission. 

The  journey  as  far  as  Griqua  Town  was  accom- 
plished without  any  special  incident.  At  first  the 
route  lay  through  fertile  valleys  and  lovely  mountain 
scenery,  but  soon  this  changed,  and  for  hundreds  of 


52  ROBERT    MOFFAT. 

miles  the  travellers  had  to  pass  through  the  desolate 
region  of  the  Karroo  desert.  When  about  half-way 
through  this  sterile  district,  they  came  to  the  site  upon 
which  was  to  be  built  the  village  of  Beaufort  West, 
where  they  were  most  kindly  entertained  by  a  Scotch- 
man named  Mr.  Baird,  the  newly  appointed  magis- 
trate. 

The  Orange  River,  so  frequently  an  insurmountable 
obstacle  to  progress,  was  passed  in  safety,  the  water 
being  very  low,  and  two  or  three  days  later  Griqua 
Town  was  reached.  Here  a  halt  was  made.  Lattakoo 
lay  one  hundred  miles  beyond. 

At  this  time  some  uncertainty  existed  as  to  whether 
the  Moffats  would  be  allowed  by  the  Colonial  Govern- 
ment to  settle  at  Lattakoo;  thus  far  consent  had  been 
withheld.  They  had  advanced  trusting  that  the  way 
would  be  opened,  and  after  a  short  rest  at  Griqua 
Town,  the  party  continued  their  journey,  and  reached 
Lattakoo  five  days  after  leaving  the  Griqua  station. 
It  was  intended  that  Robert  Moffat  should  take  the 
place  of  Mr.  Read,  as  an  associate  with  Mr.  Hamilton 
in  the  work  of  the  mission. 

The  new  arrivals  were  introduced  to  Mothibi,  and 
were  soon  visited  by  a  retinue  of  chiefs.  The  manner, 
appearance,  and  dress  of  these  natives  much  interested 
Mary  Moffat,  The  whole  missionary  party  stayed 
together  for  three  weeks,  settling  the  affairs  of  the 
mission  ;  then  the  Rev.  J.  Campbell  and  Mr.  Read 
started  on  a  journey  to  visit  the  Bahurutsi,  a  tribe  who 
dwelt  nearly  two  hundred  miles  to  the  north-east  of 
Lattakoo.  Moffat  and  his  wife  remained  with  Mr. 
Hamilton,  so  that  the  new  missionary  might  win  the 
affections  of  the  Bechwana  chief  and  his  people. 

LTpon  the  return  of  the  Rev.  J.  Campbell  and 
Mr.  Read,  after  an  absence  of  two  months,  and  a  short 


53 


54  ROBERT  MOFFAT. 

rest  at  Lattakoo,  all  the  missionaries,  excepting  Mr. 
Hamilton,  set  off  westward  along  the  bed  of  the- 
Kuruman  River  to  visit  several  of  the  Bechwana 
tribes  which  were  scattered  about  that  region.  The 
natives  of  these  parts,  never  having  seen  white  people 
before  evinced  much  curiosity  concerning  their  visitors; 
especially  about  Mrs.  Moffat  and  her  dress.  To  see 
the  missionaries  sitting  at  table  dining  and  using 
knives  and  forks,  plates,  and  different  dislies,  was 
wonderful  to  them,  and  for  hours  they  would  sit  and 
gaze  upon  such  scenes.  The  Word  of  Life  was 
preached  to  these  natives  by  either  Mr.  Campbell  or 
Robert  Moffat  as  the  party  journeyed  along. 

Their  absence  from  Lattakoo  extended  to  a  little 
over  a  fortnight,  and  on  their  return,  finding,  by 
intelligence  received  from  Dr.  Philip,  that  permission 
had  not  as  yet  been  obtained  from  the  Governor  for 
the  Mofifats  to  settle  at  that  place,  Robert  and  his 
partner  had  to  return,  much  cast  down,  to  Griqua 
Town,  there  to  commit  the  matter  into  the  hand  of 
God,  and  patiently  await  the  time  when  He  should 
open  the  way  for  them  to  commence  the  work  they 
had  so  much  at  heart.  Mr.  Hamilton  was  therefore 
again  left  alone  with  simply  a  Griqua  assistant  and  a 
few  Hottentots. 

Just  before  leaving  Lattakoo,  Robert  Moffat  met 
Africaner,  who  had  safely  brought  from  Vreede  Berg 
the  cattle  and  property  belonging  to  the  missionary, 
and  also  the  books  and  articles  of  furniture  which  had 
been  intrusted  to  his  care  when  leaving  Cape  Town. 
All  were  in  good  order,  particular  attention  having 
been  paid  to  the  missionary's  cattle  and  sheep  during 
his  long  absence.  This  was  the  last  meeting  between 
Moffat  and  Africaner. 

While   on    their  journey,   and  when    near   Griqua 


MARRIAGE,   AND   ARRIVAL   AT    LATTAKOO.        55 

Town,  information  reached  the  missionary  party  that 
permission  had  been  granted  for  the  Moffats  to  settle 
at  Lattakoo.  As,  however,  the  affairs  at  Griqua  Town 
at  this  time  were  altogether  disorganised,  it  was 
arranged  that  they  should  stay  there  for  a  few  months 
to  set  the  affairs  of  that  place  in  order. 

During  their  stay  at  that  station  Mrs.  Moffat  had 
a  severe  illness,  and  her  life  \vas  despaired  of,  but  this 
precious  life  was  preserved,  and  not  only  was  his  dear 
one  restored,  but  a  bonny  wee   lassie  was  given    to 


OLD  MISSION   HOUSE  AT  GRIQUA  TOWN. 

them  both,  who  was  named  Mary,  and  who,  in  after 
years,  became  the  wife  of  Dr.  Livingstone. 

At  Griqua  Town  they  bade  farewell  to  the  Rev.  J. 
Campbell.  To  them  he  had  become  much  endeared, 
as  they  had  been  in  his  company  as  fellow-travellers 
for  many  months.  He  and  Mr.  Read  returned 
to  the  Colony  ;  twenty  years  later,  however,  the  two 
friends  met  again,  but  that  was  upon  the  Moffats' 
return  to  their  native  land. 


56  ROBERT   MOFFAT. 

In  May,  1821,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Moffat  again  arrived  at 
Lattakoo,  and  then  commenced  a  continuation  of 
missionary  conflicts  during  which  their  faith  was 
severely  tried,  but  which  ended,  after  many  years,  in 
triumphant  rejoicing  as  they  saw  the  people  brought 
to  Christ,  and  beheld  the  once  ignorant  and  degraded 
heathen  becoming  humble  servants  of  the  Lord, 
reading  His  Word  and  obeying  His  precepts. 

In  looking  at  the  Bechwanas  as  they  were  when  the 
Moffats  first  settled  among  them,  for  up  to  that  time 
the  efforts  of  the  missionaries  had  been  unattended 
with  success,  we  find  a  people  who  had  neither  an 
idea  of  a  God,  nor  who  performed  any  idolatrous  rites  ; 
who  failed  to  see  that  there  was  anything  more  agree- 
able to  flesh  and  blood  in  our  customs  than  in  their 
own  ;  but  who  allowed  that  the  missionaries  were  a 
wiser  and  superior  race  of  beings  to  themselves  ;  who 
practised  polygamy,  and  looked  with  a  very  jealous 
eye  on  any  innovation  that  was  likely  to  deprive  them 
of  the  services  of  their  wives,  who  built  their  houses, 
gathered  firewood  for  their  fires,  tilled  their  fields,  and 
reared  their  families  ;  who  were  suspicious,  and  keenly 
scrutinised  the  actions  of  the  missionaries  ;  in  fact,  a 
people  who  were  thoroughly  sensual,  and  who  could 
rob,  lie,  and  murder  without  any  compunctions  of 
conscience,  as  long  as  success  attended  their  efforts. 

Among  such  a  people  did  these  servants  of  God 
labour  for  years  without  any  sign  of  fruit,  but  with 
steadfast  faith  and  persevering  prayer,  until  at  last 
the  work  of  the  Holy  Spirit  was  seen,  and  the  strong 
arm  of  the  Lord,  gathering  many  into  His  fold, 
became  apparent. 

The  Bechwana  tribe  with  whom  Robert  Moffat  was 
located  was  called  the  Batlaping,  or  Batlapis. 

The  patience  of  the  missionaries  in  these  early  days 


MARRIAGE,   AND   ARRIVAL   AT   LATTAKOO.        57 

was  sorely  tried,  and  the  petty  annoyances,  so  irritating 
to  many  of  us,  were  neither  few  nor  infrequent.  By 
dint  of  immense  labour,  leading  the  water  to  it,  the 
ground  which  the  chief  had  given  the  missionaries  for 
a  garden  was  made  available  ;  then  the  women,  headed 
by  the  chiefs  wife,  encroached  upon  it,  and  to  save 
contention  the  point  was  conceded.  The  corn  when 
it  ripened  was  stolen,  and  the  sheep  either  taken  out 
of  the  fold  at  night  or  driven  off  when  grazing  in  the 
day  time.  No  tool  or  household  utensil  could  be  left 
about  for  a  moment  or  it  would  disappear. 

One  day  Mr.  Hamilton,  who  at  that  time  had  no 
mill  to  grind  corn,  sat  down  and  with  much  labour  and 
perspiration,  by  means  of  two  stones,  ground  sufficient 
meal  in  half-a-day  to  make  a  loaf  that  should  serve 
him,  being  then  alone,  for  about  eight  days.  He 
kneaded  and  baked  his  gigantic  loaf,  put  it  on  his 
shelf,  and  went  to  the  chapel.  He  returned  in  the 
evening  with  a  keen  appetite  and  a  pleasant  anticipa- 
tion of  enjoying  his  coarse  home-made  bread,  but  on 
opening  the  door  of  his  hut  and  casting  his  eye  to  the 
shelf  he  saw  that  the  loaf  had  gone.  Some  one  had 
forced  open  the  little  window  of  the  hut,  got  in,  and 
stolen  the  bread. 

On  another  occasion  Mrs.  Moffat,  with  a  babe  in  her 
arms,  begged  very  humbly  of  a  woman,  just  to  be  kind 
enough  to  move  out  of  a  temporary  kitchen,  that  she 
might  shut  it  as  usual  before  going  into  the  place  of 
worship.  The  woman  seized  a  piece  of  wood  to  hurl 
at  Mrs.  Moffat's  head,  who,  therefore,  escaped  to  the 
house  of  God,  leaving  the  intruder  in  undisturbed  pos- 
session of  the  kitchen,  any  of  the  contents  of  which 
she  would  not  hesitate  to  appropriate  to  her  own  use. 

A  severe  drought  also  set  in,  and  a  rain-maker, 
finding  all  his  arts  to  bring  rain  useless,  laid  the  blame 


58  ROBERT  MOFFAT. 

upon  the  white  strangers,  who  for  a  time  were  in 
expectation  of  being  driven  away.  Probably,  however, 
the  greatest  trial  at  this  time  was  caused  by  the  con- 
duct of  some  of  the  Hottentots  who  had  accompanied 
them  from  the  Cape,  and  who  being  but  new  converts 
were  weak  to  withstand  the  demands  made  upon  them, 
and  brought  shame  upon  their  leaders.  Shortly  after 
his  arrival  Moffat  thoroughly  purged  his  little  com- 
munity. The  numbers  that  gathered  round  the  Lord's 
table  were  much  reduced,  but  the  lesson  was  a  salutary 
one  and  did  good  to  the  heathen  around. 

A  callous  indifference  to  the  instruction  of  the  mis- 
sionaries, except  it  was  followed  by  some  temporal 
benefit,  prevailed.  In  August,  1822,  Mary  Moffat 
wrote,  "  We  have  no  prosperity  in  the  work,  not  the 
least  sign  of  good  being  done.  The  Bechwanas  seem 
more  careless  than  ever,  and  seldom  enter  the  church." 
A  little  later  Moffat  himself  stated  in  one  of  his  letters, 
"  They  turn  a  deaf  ear  to  the  voice  of  love,  and  treat 
with  scorn  the  glorious  doctrines  of  salvation.  It  is, 
however,  pleasing  to  reflect  that  affairs  in  general  wear 
a  more  hopeful  aspect  than  when  we  came  here. 
Several  instances  have  proved  the  people  are  deter- 
mined to  relinquish  the  barbarous  system  of  com- 
mandoes for  stealing  cattle.  They  have  also  dispensed 
with  a  rain-maker  this  season." 

The  Bushmen  had  a  most  inhuman  custom  of 
abandoning  the  aged  and  helpless,  leaving  them  to 
starve  or  be  devoured  by  wild  beasts  ;  also  if  a  mother 
died  it  was  their  practice  to  bury  the  infant  or  infants 
of  that  mother  with  her. 

During  one  of  his  journeys,  a  few  months  prior  to 
the  date  last  mentioned,  Moffat  came  upon  a  party  of 
Bushmen  digging  a  grave  for  the  body  of  a  woman 
who  had  left  two  children.     Finding  that  they  were 


MARRIAGE,  AND  ARRIVAL  AT   LATTAKOO.        59 

about  to  bury  the  children  with  the  corpse  he  begged 
for  them.  They  were  given  him  and  for  some  years 
formed  a  part  of  his  household.  They  were  named 
Ann  and  Dicky. 

The  importance  of  acquiring  the  language  of  the 
Bechwanas  soon  became  apparent  to  the  earnest- 
hearted  missionary.  One  day  he  was  much  cast 
down  and  said  to  his  wife,  "  Mary,  this  is  hard  work." 
"  It  is  hard  work,  my  love,"  she  replied,  "  but  take 
courage,  our  lives  shall  be  given  us  for  a  prey."  "  But 
think,  my  dear,"  he  said,  "  how  long  we  have  been 
preaching  to  this  people,  and  no  fruit  yet  appears." 
The  wise  woman  made  answer,  "  The  Gospel  has  not 
yet  been  preached  to  them  in  their  oiun  tongue  in 
ivJiicJi  they  ivere  bor)i.  They  have  heard  it  only 
through  interpreters,  and  interpreters  who  have  them- 
selves no  just  understanding,  no  real  love  of  the  truth. 
We  must  not  expect  the  blessing  till  you  are  able, 
from  your  own  lips  and  in  their  language,  to  bring  it 
through  their  ears  into  their  hearts." 

"  From  that  hour,"  said  Moffat,  in  relating  the 
conversation,  "  I  gave  myself  with  untiring  diligence 
to  the  acquisition  of  the  language." 

As  an  instance  of  the  drawback  of  preaching  by 
means  of  an  interpreter,  the  sentence,  "  The  salvation 
of  the  soul  is  a  very  important  subject,"  was  rendered 
by  one  of  those  individuals  as  follows  :  "  The  salvation 
of  the  soul  is  a  very  great  sack."  A  rendering 
altogether  unintelligible. 

For  the  purpose  of  studying  the  language  Moffat 
made  journeys  among  the  tribes,  so  that  he  might  for 
a  time  be  freed  from  speaking  Dutch,  the  language 
spoken  with  his  own  people  at  Lattakoo.  Itinerating 
visits  v/ere  also  made  in  turn  every  Sabbath  to  the 
surrounding  villages,  and  occasionally  further  afield, 


6o  ROBERT   MOFFAT. 

but  sometimes,  after  walking  perhaps  four  to  five 
miles  to  reach  a  village,  not  a  single  individual  could 
be  found  to  listen  to  the  Gospel  message. 

The  only  service  in  which  the  missionaries  took  any 
real  delight  at  this  time,  was  the  Sabbath  evening 
service  held  in  Dutch  for  the  edification  of  themselves 
and  the  two  or  three  Hottentots,  with  their  families, 
who  belonged  to  the  mission. 

In  addition  to  sore  privations,  discouragements, 
false  accusations,  and  the  loss  of  their  property,  the 
missionaries  found  even  their  lives  at  times  imperilled. 
The  natives  and  all  on  the  station  were  suffering 
greatly  from  a  long  continued  drought.  All  the 
efforts  of  the  professional  rain-maker  had  been  in 
vain,  no  cloud  appeared  in  the  sky,  no  rain  fell  to 
water  the  parched  land.  The  doings  of  the  mission- 
aries were  looked  upon  as  being  the  cause  of  this 
misfortune.  At  one  time  it  was  a  bag  of  salt,  which 
Moffat  had  brought  in  his  waggon,  that  frightened 
the  rain  away ;  at  another  the  sound  of  the  chapel 
bell.  Their  prospects  became  darker  than  ever.  At 
last  it  appeared  that  the  natives  had  fully  decided  to 
expel  them  from  their  midst.  A  chief  man,  and 
about  a  dozen  of  his  attendants,  came  and  seated 
themselves  under  the  shadow  of  a  large  tree  near  to 
Moffat's  house.  He  at  that  moment  was  engaged  in 
repairing  a  waggon  near  at  hand.  The  scene  which 
ensued  and  its  result  we  give  in  his  own  words : — 

"  Being  informed  that  something  of  importance  was 
to  be  communicated,  Mr.  Hamilton  was  called.  We 
stood  patiently  to  hear  the  message,  always  ready  to 
face  the  worst.  The  principal  speaker  informed  us, 
that  it  was  the  determination  of  the  chiefs  of  the 
people  that  we  should  leave  the  country ;  and  refer- 
ring to  our  disregard  of  threatenings,  added  what  was 


Oi 


62  ROBERT   MOFFAT. 

tantamount  to  the  assurance  that  measures  of  a  violent 
character  would  be  resorted  to,  to  carry  their  resolu- 
tions into  effect,  in  case  of  our  disobeying  the  order. 

"  While  the  chief  was  speaking,  he  stood  quivering 
his  spear  in  his  right  hand.  Mrs.  Moffat  was  at  the 
door  of  our  cottage,  with  the  babe  in  her  arms, 
watching  the  crisis,  for  such  it  was.     We  replied  : — 

" '  We  have  indeed  felt  most  reluctant  to  leave,  and 
are  now  more  than  ever  resolved  to  abide  by  our  post. 
We  pity  you,  for  you  know  not  what  you  do ;  we  have 
suffered,  it  is  true  ;  and  He  whose  servants  we  are 
has  directed  us  in  His  Word,  "  When  they  persecute 
you  in  one  city,  flee  ye  to  another,"  but  although  we 
have  suffered,  we  do  not  consider  all  that  has  been 
done  to  us  by  the  people  amounts  to  persecution  ;  we 
are  prepared  to  expect  it  from  such  as  know  no  better. 
If  you  are  resolved  to  rid  yourselves  of  us,  you  must 
resort  to  stronger  measures,  for  our  hearts  are  with 
you.  You  may  shed  blood  or  burn  us  out.  We  know 
you  will  not  touch  our  wives  and  children.' " 

Then  throwing  open  his  waistcoat  Moffat  stood 
erect  and  fearless.  "  Now  then,"  said  he,  "  if  you  will, 
drive  your  spears  to  my  heart ;  and  when  you  have 
slain  me,  my  companions  will  know  that  the  hour  has 
come  for  them  to  depart." 

At  these  words  the  chief  man  looked  at  his  com- 
panions, remarking,  with  a  significant  shake  of  the 
head,  "  These  men  must  have  ten  lives,  when  they  are 
so  fearless  of  death  ;  there  must  be  something  in 
immortality." 

Moffat  pithily  observes,  "  The  meeting  broke  up,  and 
they  left  us,  no  doubt  fully  impressed  with  the  idea 
that  we  were  impracticable  men." 


CHAPTER  Y 


THE   MANTATEE   INVASION. 


IN  March,  1823,  a  second  daughter  was  born  to  the 
Moffats,  who  was  named  Ann.     At  that  time  the 
Batlaping    were    thoroughly    indifferent    to    the 
Gospel,  but  their  hostile  spirit  to  the  missionaries 
had  passed  away. 

Robert  Moffat  had  heard  of  a  powerful  Bechwana 
tribe,  named  the  Bangwaketsi,  whose  chief  was 
Makaba,  dwelling  about  two  hundred  miles  to  the 
north-east.  To  this  chief  and  people  he  now  contem- 
plated paying  a  visit. 

Rumours  had  also  been  current  at  intervals,  for 
more  than  a  year  past,  of  strange  and  terrible  doings 
by  a  fierce  and  numerous  people,  called  the  Mantatees, 
who  were  advancing  from  the  eastward.  To  gain 
definite  intelligence  concerning  this  people,  and  also 
with  the  view  of  paying  his  contemplated  visit  to 
Makaba,  Moffat  resolved  upon  undertaking  a  journey 
to  that  chief.  He  was  also  influenced  by  the  desire 
to  open  up  a  friendly  intercourse  with  so  powerful, 
and  it  might  be  dangerous,  a  potentate  as  Makaba  ; 
and  likewise  by  the  wish  of  gaining  opportunities  of 
more  fully  studying  the  language  and  becoming 
acquainted  with  the  localities  of  the  tribes  ;  the  ulti- 

63 


64  ROBERT   ?>IOFFAT. 

mate  design  of  all  being  the  introduction  of  the 
Gospel  among  them. 

An  invitation  arrived  from  Makaba,  and  the  way- 
seemed  open.  Mothibi,  however,  the  Bechwana  chief, 
was  greatly  averse  to  the  undertaking,  and  threw  all 
possible  obstacles  in  its  path,  short  of  actual  armed 
resistance.  His  people  were  forbidden  to  accompany 
the  missionary,  who  was  obliged  therefore  to  start 
with  only  the  few  men  he  had. 

As  he  journeyed  forward  the  reports  concerning 
the  Mantatees  were  again  heard,  and  on  reaching 
Nokaneng,  about  twenty  miles  distant  from  Lattakoo, 
he  learned  that  the  invaders  had  attacked  a  Bechwana 
tribe,  the  Barolongs,  at  Kunuana,  about  one  hundred 
miles  off.  Spies  were  sent  out  but  returned  without 
any  definite  tidings,  and  the  journey  was  resumed. 

For  four  days  the  party  travelled  across  a  dry  and 
trackless  country,  when  they  came  to  a  fine  valley,  in 
which  were  some  pools  and  plenty  of  game.  Here 
they  remained  two  days,  and  then  prepared  to  con- 
tinue their  journey  to  the  Bangwaketsi.  Just  as  they 
were  about  to  start,  however,  they  ascertained  from 
two  natives  that  the  Mantatees  had  attacked  the 
Barolongs,  and  were  in  possession  of  a  village  some- 
what in  the  rear  of  the  missionary's  party. 

No  time  was  to  be  lost.  The  distance  was  retraced 
with  all  speed,  and  the  alarming  news  told  at 
Lattakoo.  A  public  meeting  was  convened,  and 
Moffat  gave  a  circumstantial  account  of  the  informa- 
tion he  had  gathered.  The  enemy  were  a  numerous 
and  powerful  body,  they  had  destroyed  many  towns  of 
the  Bakone  tribes,  slaughtered  immense  numbers  of 
people,  laid  Kurrechane  in  ruins,  scattered  the  Baro- 
longs, and,  in  addition,  were  said  to  be  cannibals. 

The  alarming  tidings  produced  at  first  a  gloom  on 


THE   MANTATEE   INVASION.  6$ 

every  countenance,  and  silence  reigned  for  a  few 
minutes.  Then  Mothibi,  in  the  name  of  the  assembly, 
said  he  was  exceedingly  thankful  that  their  mis- 
sionary had  been  "  hard-headed "  and  pursued  his 
journey,  thus  discovering  to  them  their  danger. 

Moffat  counselled  that  as  the  Bechwanas  were  quite 
unable  to  resist  so  savage  a  force  as  the  Mantatees, 
they  had  better  either  flee  to  the  Colony  or  call  in  the 
aid  of  the  Griquas,  volunteering  to  proceed  to  Griqua 
Town  to  give  information  and  procure  assistance. 
The  chief  at  that  place  was  one  Andries  Waterboer, 
who  had  been  educated  by  the  missionaries,  and  who, 
before  his  election  as  chief,  had  been  set  apart  for  a 
native  teacher.  Mr.  Melville,  the  Government  agent, 
also  resided  in  the  town. 

Moffat  reached  Griqua  Town  safely,  and  Waterboer 
promised  to  come  to  the  assistance  of  the  Bechwanas 
as  soon  as  he  could  muster  his  forces.  Moffat  then 
returned  to  his  station. 

Eleven  anxious  days  were  passed  at  Lattakoo, 
waiting  the  arrival  of  the  Griquas.  By  the  time  they 
arrived,  the  enemy  had  reached  Lctakong,  only  thirty- 
six  miles  away.  The  Griqua  force  consisted  of  about 
one  hundred  horsemen,  armed  with  guns,  and  it  being 
reported  that  there  were  white  men  among  the 
invaders,  Moffat  was  asked  to  accompany  the  force, 
as,  having  some  knowledge  of  the  language,  he 
might  be  able  to  bring  about  a  treaty  with  them. 
He  agreed  to  go,  and  Mr.  Melville  started  with  him. 

Before  leaving,  all  met  to  pray  for  Divine  counsel 
and  help.  A  blessing  on  the  means  of  preventing 
a  further  effusion  of  blood  was  asked,  and  if  recourse 
to  violent  measures  became  necessary,  it  was  prayed 
that  the  heads  of  those  engaged  might  be  shielded  in 
the  day  of  battle. 

E 


66  ROBERT   MOFFAT. 

The  small  force  pressed  forward  as  far  as  the  Mat- 
laurin  River,  about  half  way,  where  all  bivouacked. 
Leaving  the  main  body,  Waterboer,  Moffat,  and  a  few 
others,  rode  onward  for  about  four  hours,  and  then 
halted  for  the  night  among  some  trees.  At  day-light 
they  proceeded  until  they  came  in  sight  of  the  enemy. 
These  were  divided  into  two  parties,  one  holding  a 
town,  out  of  which  they  had  driven  the  inhabitants, 
and  the  other  lying  on  the  hills  to  the  left  of  the 
town.  As  the  horsemen  drew  near,  they  could 
perceive  that  they  were  discovered,  and  among  the 
masses  of  the  invaders  could  be  seen  the  war-axes 
and  brass  ornaments  as  they  glittered  in  the  sun. 

Riding  forward,  Moffat  and  Waterboer  found  a 
young  woman  belonging  to  the  Mantatees,  whose 
whole  appearance  denoted  direful  want.  Food  was 
given  her,  and  some  tobacco,  and  she  was  sent  with  a 
message  to  her  people  that  the  strangers  wanted  to 
speak  with  them  and  not  to  fight.  An  old  man  and 
a  lad  were  also  found  dying  of  starvation,  these  were 
helped  and  talked  to  in  full  sight  of  the  enemy.  All 
possible  means  were  tried  to  bring  them  to  a  parley, 
but  in  vain,  they  only  responded  by  making  furious 
rushes,  showing  their  intention  to  attack. 

The  whole  day  was  spent  in  this  manner,  and  at 
evening  Moffat  left  Waterboer  and  the  scouts,  and 
rode  back  to  confer  with  Mr.  Melville  and  the  other 
Griqua  chiefs,  to  see  if  some  means  could  be  devised 
of  preventing  the  dreadful  consequences  of  battle. 
One  of  the  Griqua  chiefs,  named  Cornelius  Kok, 
nobly  insisted  on  Moffat  taking  his  best  horse,  one 
of  the  strongest  present.  To  this  generous  act  the 
missionary  afterwards  owed  his  life. 

All  the  party  were  in  motion  the  next  morning 
before  daylight.    The  whole  of  the  horsemen  advanced 


THE  MANTATEE  INVASION.  6/ 

to  within  about  one  hundred  and  fifty  yards  of  the 
enemy,  thinking  to  intimidate  them  and  bring  them 
to  a  conference.  The  Mantatees  rushed  forward  with 
a  terrible  howl,  throwing  their  war  clubs  and  javelins. 
The  rushes  becoming  dangerous,  Waterboer  and  his 
party  commenced  firing,  and  the  battle  became 
general.  The  Mantatees  obstinately  held  their  ground, 
seeming  determined  rather  to  perish  than  flee,  which 
they  might  easily  have  done. 

After  the  combat  had  lasted  two  hours  and  a-half, 
the  Griquas,  finding  their  ammunition  rapidly  dimin- 
ishing, advanced  to  take  the  enemy's  position.  The 
latter  gave  way  and  fled,  at  first  westward,  but  being 
intercepted,  they  turned  towards  the  town.  Here  a 
desperate  struggle  took  place.  At  last,  seized  with 
despair,  the  enemy  fled  precipitately,  and  were  pursued 
by  the  Griquas  for  about  eight  miles. 

Soon  after  the  battle  commenced,  the  Bechwanas 
who  accompanied  the  Griqua  force  came  up,  and 
began  discharging  their  poisoned  arrows  into  the 
midst  of  the  Mantatees.  Half-a-dozen  of  these  fierce 
warriors,  however,  turned  upon  them,  and  the  whole 
body  scampered  off  in  wild  disorder.  But  as  soon  as 
these  cowards  saw  that  the  Mantatees  had  retired, 
they  rushed  like  hungry  wolves  to  the  spot  where  they 
had  been  encamped,  and  began  to  plunder  and  kill 
the  wounded,  also  murdering  the  women  and  children 
with  their  spears  and  battle-axes. 

Fighting  not  being  within  the  missionary's  province, 
he  refrained  from  firing  a  shot,  though  for  safety  he 
kept  with  the  Griqua  force.  Seeing  now  the  savage 
ferocity  of  the  Bechwanas  in  killing  the  inoffensive 
women  and  children,  he  turned  his  attention  to  these 
objects  of  pity,  who  were  fleeing  in  all  directions. 
Galloping  in  among  them,  many  of  the  Bechwanas 


68  ROBERT   MOFFAT. 

were  deterred  from  their  barbarous  purpose,  and  the 
women,  seeing  that  mercy  was  shown  them,  sat  down, 
and  baring  their  breasts,  exclaimed,  "  I  am  a  woman  ; 
I  am  a  woman,"  The  men  seemed  as  though  it  was 
impossible  to  yield,  and  although  often  sorely  wounded, 
they  continued  to  throw  their  spears  and  war-axes  at 
any  one  who  approached. 

It  was  while  carrying  on  his  work  of  mercy  among 
the  wounded  that  Moffat  nearly  lost  his  life.  He  had 
got  hemmed  in  between  a  rocky  height  and  a  body  of  ■ 
the  enemy.  A  narrow  passage  remained,  through 
which  he  could  escape  at  full  gallop.  Right  in  the 
middle  of  this  passage  there  rose  up  before  him  a  man 
who  had  been  shot,  but  who  had  collected  his  strength, 
and,  weapon  in  hand,  was  awaiting  him.  Just  at  that 
moment  one  of  the  Griquas,  seeing  the  situation,  fired. 
The  ball  whizzed  past,  close  to  Moffat.  The  aim  had 
been  a  true  one,  and  the  way  of  escape  was  clear. 

This  battle  saved  the  mission.  It  did  more  than 
that — it  saved  the  Mantatees  themselves  from  terrible 
destruction.  As  a  devastating  host  they  would  in  all 
probability  have  advanced  to  the  borders  of  the 
Colony,  and  being  driven  back,  would  have  perished 
miserably,  men,  women,  and  children,  either  of  starva- 
tion, or  at  the  hands  of  those  tribes  whom  they  would 
have  overcome  in  their  advance,  and  through  whose 
territories  they  must  have  passed  in  their  retreat. 

After  the  battle  was  over,  Mr.  Melville  and  Robert 
Moffat  collected  many  of  the  Mantatee  women  and 
children,  who  were  taken  to  the  missionary  station. 
Alarm  prevailed  there  for  some  days,  it  being  feared 
that  the  Mantatees  might  make  a  descent  upon  the 
place  after  the  Griquas  had  left.  At  one  time  the 
prospect  was  so  ominous  that  the  missionary  band, 
with   their   wives   and    children,  after   burying   their 


THE   MANTATEE   INVASION.  69 

property,  left  Lattakoo  for  a  short  time,  and  sought 
shelter  at  Griqua  Town.  The  threatened  attack  not 
being  made,  and  as  it  was  found  that  the  Mantatees  had 
left  the  neighbourhood,  the  station  was  again  occupied. 

The  Bechwanas  were  deeply  sensible  of  the  interest 
the  missionaries  had  shown  in  their  welfare,  at  a  time 
when  they  might  with  ease  and  little  loss  of  property 
have  retired  in  safety  to  the  Colony,  leaving  them  to 
be  destroyed  by  the  fierce  invaders. 

For  a  long  time  past,  it  had  been  evident  to  Moffat 
that  the  site  upon  which  they  dwelt  at  Lattakoo  was 
altogether  unsuitable  for  naissionary  purposes.  The 
great  scarcity  of  water,  especially  in  dry  seasons, 
rendered  any  attempt  at  raising  crops  most  difficult, 
and  even  water  for  drinking  purposes  could  only  be 
obtained  in  small  quantity.  Advantage  was  there- 
fore taken  of  the  present  favourable  impression,  made 
upon  the  minds  of  Mothibi  and  his  people,  to  obtain 
a  site  for  a  new  station.  A  place  eight  miles  distant, 
about  three  miles  below  the  Kuruman  fountain,  where 
the  river  of  that  name  had  its  source,  was  examined 
and  found  to  offer  better  advantages  for  a  missionary 
station  than  any  other  for  hundreds  of  miles  round. 
Arrangements  were  made  with  the  Bechwana  chiefs 
so  that  about  two  miles  of  the  Kuruman  valley  should 
henceforth  be  the  property  of  the  London  Missionary 
Society,  proper  remuneration  being  given  as  soon  as 
Moffat  returned  from  Cape  Town,  to  which  place  he 
contemplated  paying  a  visit  shortly. 

This  new  station  will  be  known  in  the  further 
chronicle  of  events,  by  the  name  of  Kuruman. 

At  the  beginning  of  1824,  the  Moffats  were  in 
Cape  Town.  They  had  gone  there  to  obtain  supplies, 
to  seek  medical  aid  for  Mrs.  Moffat,  who  had  suffered 
in    health    considerably,   and    to    confer    personally 


70  ROBERT   MOFFAT. 

with  Dr.  Philip  about  the  removal  of  the  station. 
Mothibi  having  been  anxious  that  his  son,  Peclu, 
should  see  the  country  of  the  white  people,  had  sent 
him,  accompanied  by  Taisho,  one  of  the  principal 
chiefs,  to  Cape  Town  with  the  missionaries. 

The  young  prince  and  his  companion  were  aston- 
ished at  what  they  saw.  With  difficulty  they  were 
persuaded  to  go  along  with  Robert  Moffat  on  board 
one  of  the  ships  in  the  bay.  The  enormous  size  of 
the  hull,  the  height  of  the  masts,  the  splendid  cabin 
and  the  deep  hold,  were  each  and  all  objects  of 
wonder  ;  and  when  they  saw  a  boy  mount  the  rigging 
and  ascend  to  the  masthead,  their  astonishment  was 
complete.  Turning  to  the  young  prince,  Taisho 
whispered,  "  Ah  ga  si  khatla?"  (Is  it  not  an  ape?) 
"  Do  these  water-houses  (ships)  unyoke  like  waggon- 
oxen  every  night  ?  "  they  inquired  ;  and  also  ;  "  Do  they 
graze  in  the  sea  to  keep  them  alive?"  Being  asked  what 
they  thought  of  a  ship  in  full  sail,  which  was  then  en- 
tering the  harbour,  they  replied,  "  We  have  no  thoughts 
here,  we  hope  to  think  again  when  we  get  on  shore." 

Upon  the  same  day  that  the  Moffats  reached  Cape 
Town,  a  ship  arrived  from  England,  bringing  three 
new  missionaries  intended  for  the  Bechwana  station. 
Of  these,  however,  one  only  and  his  wife,  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Hughes,  were  able  to  accompany  the  older 
missionary  upon  his  return  to  his  post. 

Mrs.  Moffat's  health  being  somewhat  improved, 
the  party  left  Cape  Town,  and  after  a  tedious  and 
monotonous  journey  of  two  months,  Robert  and 
Mary  Moffat  reached  Lattakoo  in  safety.  They  had 
left  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Hughes  at  Griqua  Town,  where  they 
were  to  remain  for  a  season.  Upon  reaching  home 
Mr.  Hamilton  was  found  pursuing  his  lonely  labours 
with  that  quiet  patience  so  characteristic  of  him. 


CHAPTER  VI. 


VISIT   TO   MAKABA. 

SHORTLY  after  his  return,  and  pending  the  final 
arrangements  for  the  removal  of  the  missionary 
station,  it  was  considered  advisable  that  Robert 
Moffat  should  pay  his  long  promised  visit  to 
Makaba,  the  chief  of  the  Bangvvaketsi.  He  left  on 
the  1st  of  July,  1824,  and  was  accompanied  by  a  large 
party  of  Griquas,  who  were  going  into  that  region  to 
hunt  elephants. 

Skirting  the  edge  of  the  Kalahari  desert  for  some 
time  they  afterwards  deviated  from  their  course 
through  want  of  water,  and  visited  Pitsana,  where  a 
great  concourse  of  natives  had  gathered,  consisting  of 
the  different  sections  of  the  Barolong  tribe,  who  had 
been  driven  from  their  country  the  previous  year 
during  the  invasion  of  the  Mantatees.  Thence  they 
proceeded  onward  till  they  reached  Kwakwe,  the 
residence  of  Makaba  and  his  people,  and  the  metro- 
polis of  the  Bangwaketsi.  Here  the  missionary  was 
most  favourably  received  by  the  king,  who  remarked, 
with  a  laugh,  "  That  he  wondered  they  should  trust 
themselves,  unarmed,  in  the  town  of  such  a  villain  as 
he  was  reported  to  be." 

71 


72 


ROBERT   MOFFAT. 


He  entertained  Moffat  and  his  party  royally, 
declaring,  "  My  friends,  I  am  perfectly  happy ;  my 
heart  is  whiter  than  milk,  because  you  have  visited 
me.  To-day  I  am  a  great  man.  You  are  wise  and 
bold  to  come  and  see  with  your  own  eyes,  and  laugh 
at  the  testimony  of  my  enemies." 

Moffat  tried  on  several  occasions  to  converse  with 
the  chief  and  his  people  on  Divine  things,  but  appar- 


NATIVES   SEWING. 


ently  with  little  success.  At  length  on  the  Sabbath 
he  resolved  to  pay  Makaba  a  formal  visit,  so  as  to 
obtain  a  hearing  for  the  subject.  He  found  the 
monarch  seated  among  a  large  number  of  his 
principal  men,  all  engaged  either  preparing  skins, 
cutting  them,  sewing  mantles,  or  telling  news. 

Sitting  down  beside  him,  and  amidst  his  nobles  and 
counsellors,  Moffat  stated  that  his  object  was  to  tell 


VISIT   TO   MAKABA.  73 

him  news.  The  missionary  spoke  of  God,  of  the 
Saviour,  but  his  words  fell  upon  deaf  ears.  One  of 
the  men  sitting  near,  however,  seemed  struck  with  the 
character  of  the  Redeemer,  and  especially  with  His 
miracles.  On  hearing  that  He  had  raised  the  dead, 
the  man  said,  "What  an  excellent  doctor  He  must 
have  been  to  raise  the  dead."  This  led  to  a  descrip- 
tion of  His  power,  and  how  that  power  would  be 
exercised  at  the  last  day  in  the  Resurrection.  The 
ear  of  the  monarch  caught  the  sound  of  a  resurrection 
from  the  dead,  "  What,"  he  exclaimed  in  astonish- 
ment, "What  are  these  words  about?  the  dead,  the 
dead  arise ! " 

"  Yes,  all  the  dead  shall  arise." 

"  Will  my  father  arise  ?  " 

"  Yes,  your  father  will  arise." 

"  Will  all  the  slain  in  battle  arise  ?  " 

"  Yes." 

"  And  will  all  that  have  been  killed  and  devoured 
by  lions,  tigers,  hyenas,  and  crocodiles  again  revive  ?  " 

"  Yes  ;  and  come  to  judgment." 

"And  will  those  whose  bodies  have  been  left  to 
waste  and  to  wither  on  the  desert  plains  and  scattered 
to  the  winds  again  arise  ?  "  asked  the  king,  with  a  kind 
of  triumph,  as  though  this  time  he  had  fixed  the 
missionary. 

"  Yes  !  "  answered  he,  with  emphasis  ;  "  not  one  will 
be  left  behind." 

After  looking  at  his  visitor  for  a  few  moments, 
Makaba  turned  to  his  people,  saying  in  a  stentorian 
voice :  "  Hark,  ye  wise  men,  whoever  is  among  you, 
the  wisest  of  past  generations,  did  ever  your  cars  hear 
such  strange  and  unheard-of  news  ?  " 

Receiving  an  answer  in  the  negative,  he  laid  his 
hand  upon  Moffat's  breast  and  said,  "  Father,  I  love 


74  ROBERT   MOFFAT. 

you  much.  Your  visit  and  your  presence  have  made 
my  heart  as  white  as  milk.  The  words  of  your 
mouth  are  sweet  as  honey,  but  the  words  of  a  resur- 
rection are  too  great  to  be  heard.  I  do  not  wish  to 
hear  again  about  the  dead  rising !  The  dead  cannot 
arise!     The  dead  must  not  arise  !  " 

"  Why,"  inquired  the  missionary,  "  can  so  great  a 
man  refuse  knowledge  and  turn  away  from  wisdom  ? 
Tell  me,  my  friend,  why  I  must  not  add  to  words  and 
speak  of  a  resurrection  ?  " 

Raising  and  uncovering  his  arm  which  had  been 
strong  in  battle,  and  shaking  his  hand  as  if  quivering 
a  spear,  he  replied,  "  I  have  slain  my  thousands,  and 
shall  they  arise  ! " 

"  Never  before,"  adds  Mr.  Moffat  in  his  Missionary 
Labours,  "  had  the  light  of  Divine  revelation  dawned 
upon  his  savage  mind,  and  of  course  his  conscience 
had  never  accused  him,  no,  not  for  one  of  the 
thousands  of  deeds  of  rapine  and  murder  which  had 
marked  his  course  through  a  long  career," 

Starting  homewards,  the  Griqua  hunting  party,  for 
some  altogether  unexplained  reason,  announced  their 
intention  of  returning  with  the  missionary  instead  ot 
remaining  behind  to  hunt;  a  most  providential  circum- 
stance, which  in  all  probability  saved  the  lives  of 
Moffat  and  his  followers  and  many  more  besides. 

A  few  hours  after  leaving  Makaba,  messengers  met 
the  returning  company  from  Tauane,  the  chief  of  the 
Barolongs,  asking  the  help  of  the  missionary  party  as 
he  was  about  to  be  attacked  by  the  Mantatees.  On 
reaching  Pitsana  they  found  that  such  was  the  case. 
The  attack  was  made  and  repelled  by  the  Griquas, 
about  twenty  in  number,  mounted  and  armed  with 
guns  ;  and  thus  the  town  was  saved,  the  flight  of  its 
inhabitants  into  the  Kalahari  desert,  there  to  perish 


VISIT   TO   MAKABA.  75 

of  hunger  and  thirst,  prevented,  and  the  safety  of 
Robert  Moffat  and  his  companions  secured. 

The  time  during  which  Moffat  had  been  absent 
from  Lattakoo,  had  been  a  most  anxious  one  for  his 
wife  and  those  who  remained  at  the  station.  A  band 
of  marauders  had  gathered  in  the  Long  Mountains, 
about  forty  miles  to  the  westward,  and  after  attacking 
some  villages  on  the  Kuruman,  had  threatened  an 
attack  on  the  Batlaping  and  the  mission  premises. 
The  dreaded  Mantatees  were  also  reported  to  be  in 
the  neighbourhood.  One  night  when  Mary  Moffat 
was  alone  with  her  little  ones  and  the  two  Bushmen 
children,  Mr.  Hamilton  and  the  assistants  being  away 
at  the  new  station,  a  loud  rap  came  at  the  door,  and 
inquiring  who  was  there,  Mothibi  himself  replied. 
He  brought  word  that  the  Mantatees  were  approaching. 

A  hasty  message  was  sent  to  Mr.  Hamilton,  who 
arrived  about  eight  o'clock  in  the  morning  when 
preparations  were  made  for  flight.  Messengers  con- 
tinued to  arrive,  each  bringing  tidings  that  caused 
fresh  alarm,  until  about  noon,  when  it  was  ascertained 
that  the  fierce  and  savage  enemy  had  turned  aside  and 
directed  their  course  to  the  Barolongs. 

The  station  was  safe,  but  the  loving  heart  of  the 
missionary's  wife  was  torn  with  anguish,  as  she  fore- 
saw that  the  dreaded  Mantatees  would  be  crossing 
her  husband's  path  just  at  the  time  when  he,  almost 
alone,  was  returning  on  his  homeward  way. 

Prayer  was  the  support  of  Mary  Moffat  under  this 
terrible  ordeal,  and  the  way  prayer  was  answered  has 
been  seen,  in  the  unaccountable  manner  in  which 
Berend  Berend  and  his  party  of  Griquas  changed  their 
minds  and  resolved  upon  returning  with  Robert 
Moffat,  instead  of  remaining  to  hunt  elephants  in  the 
country  of  the  Bangwakctsi. 


7^  ROBERT   MOFFAT, 

The  remainder  of  the  year  1824  witnessed  bloodshed 
and  strife  all  around.  War  among  the  Bechwanas, 
attacks  by  the  marauders  of  the  Long  Mountains, 
commotions  among  the  interior  tribes  :  the  land  was 
deluged  with  blood  ;  even  the  warlike  Bangwaketsi 
were  dispersed,  and  Makaba  was  killed.  Once  again 
the  missionaries  had  to  flee  with  their  families  to 
Griqua  Town,  leaving  Mr.  Hamilton,  as  he  was 
without  family  in  charge  of  the  new  station,  with 
two  horses  ready  for  flight  in  case  of  danger. 

The  end  of  the  year  found  the  Kuruman  mission- 
aries,— who  now  consisted  of  Robert  and  Mary  Moffat, 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Hughes,  and  Mr.  Hamilton, — with  the 
exception  of  the  last  named,  at  Griqua  Town. 

The  new  station  at  the  Kuruman  had  been  occupied 
shortly  before  the  departure  of  the  fugitives  ;  and 
early  in  1825,  finding  that  the  immediate  danger  had 
passed,  the  Moffats,  accompanied  by  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Hughes,  rejoined  Mr.  Hamilton.  Two  events  of  a 
distressing  character  to  the  Batlaping  and  their 
missionaries  occurred  about  this  time.  The  first  was 
the  passage  of  two  terrible  hail-storms  over  a  portion 
of  the  country,  destroying  the  crops,  killing  lambs, 
and  stripping  the  bark  from  trees.  The  second 
was  the  death  of  the  young  prince,  Peclu,  who  had 
an  excellent  disposition,  was  comparatively  en- 
lightened, and  whose  influence  the  missionaries 
expected  would  have  been  most  salutary  among  his 
countrymen. 

This  sorrowful  event,  combined  with  a  further  attack 
upon  the  Batlaping  by  the  marauders,  determined 
Mothibi  and  his  people  to  leave  their  present  place 
of  settlement  and  remove  to  the  eastward.  For  a  con- 
siderable time,  however,  they  remained  in  an  unsettled 
state,  suffering  from  attacks,  and  leading  a  vagrant  life. 


VISIT   TO   MAKABA.  TJ 

The  work  of  la}'ing  out  the  new  station  was 
proceeded  with.  Three  temporary  dwelHngs  had 
ah-eady  been  erected,  consisting  of  a  wooden  frame- 
work, filled  up  with  reeds,  and  plastered  within  and 
without;  the  foundations  of  more  permanent  dwellings 
had  also  been  laid.  Mr.  Hughes,  who  had  been  to 
Cape  Town  for  supplies,  returned,  accompanied  by  a 
mason  named  Millen  and  a  few  Hottentot  assist- 
ants from  Bethelsdorp.  The  company  at  the  station 
was  a  large  one,  and  to  provide  them  with  food  was 
a  work  of  difficulty. 

The  Kuruman  fountain,  the  source  of  the  Kuruman 
river,  issues  from  caverns  in  a  little  hill.  It  was  the 
purpose  of  the  missionaries  to  lead  the  water  from  the 
river  to  irrigate  their  gardens.  For  this  purpose  a 
trench  was  cut  two  miles  in  length.  This  was  a  work 
of  great  labour  and  was  attended  by  considerable 
danger.  It  was  found  necessary  that  the  men  when 
working  should  have  their  guns  with  them,  in  case  of 
being  surprised  by  the  robbers  who  roved  about. 
Moffat  says,  "  it  was  dug  in  troublous  times." 

Sickness  and  death  entered  the  missionary  dwell- 
ings. An  infant  son  was  born  to  the  Moffats,  and 
five  days  after  called  away.  Mr.  Hughes  was  laid 
low  through  a  severe  cold,  and  brought  to  the  gates 
of  death.  When  all  hope  seemed  to  have  vanished 
he  began  to  amend,  though  his  health  was  not  restored 
untfl  he  and  Mrs.  Hughes  made  a  journey  to  the  Cape. 
In  1827  he  left  Kuruman  and  removed  to  the  Griqua 
Mission.  The  mother  of  Mary  Moffat  died  in 
October,  1825,  but  the  news  did  not  reach  her 
daughter  in  Africa  until  April,  1826. 

Referring  to  this  time  Robert  Moffat  says  :  "  Our 
situation  during  the  infancy  of  the  new  station,  I  shall 
not  attempt  to  describe.     Some  of  our  newly  arrived 


7d>  ROBERT   MOFFAT. 

assistants,  finding  themselves  in  a  country  where  the 
restraints  of  law  were  unknown,  and  not  being  under 
the  influence  of  religion,  would  not  submit  to  the 
privations  which  we  patiently  endured,  but  murmured 
exceedingly.  Armed  robbers  were  continually  making 
inroads,  threatening  death  and  extirpation.  We  were 
compelled  to  work  daily  at  every  species  of  labour, 
most  of  which  was  very  heavy,  under  a  burning  sun, 
and  in  a  dry  climate,  where  only  one  shower  had 
fallen  during  the  preceding  twelve  months.  These 
are  only  imperfect  samples  of  our  engagements  for 
several  years  at  the  new  station,  while  at  the  same 
time,  the  language,  which  was  entirely  oral,  had  to  be 
acquired." 

Notwithstanding  all  the  impediments  to  such  an 
enterprise,  Robert  Moffat  had  made  some  progress 
towards  establishing  a  literature  in  the  native,  or 
Sechwana  tongue.  A  spelling-book,  catechism,  and 
some  small  portions  of  Scripture  had  been  prepared, 
and  sent  to  the  Cape  to  be  printed,  in  1825.  Through 
a  mistake,  these  were  unfortunately  sent  on  to  Eng- 
land, causing  much  disappointment  and  delay. 

Things  settled  down  somewhat  in  1826.  The  dis- 
contented Hottentots  returned  to  the  Colony,  leaving 
the  missionaries  and  Mr.  Millen  to  carry  on  the  work 
of  laying  out  the  station,  erecting  the  buildings,  and 
the  other  manual  labour  connected  with  the  under- 
taking, assisted  only  by  such  poor  help  as  they  could 
get  from  the  Bechwanas. 

The  native  population  at  the  station  had  been  much 
reduced.  Such  of  the  Batlaping  as  had  not  moved 
away,  had  settled  down  about  the  Kuruman  valley. 
They  did  not  oppose  the  Gospel,  but  they  appeared 
quite  indifferent  to  it. 

For  several  years  the  country  had  been  parched 


VISIT   TO   MAKABA.  79 

through  drought,  but  early  in  1826  rain  fell  plentifully. 
The  earth  was  soon  covered  with  verdure,  but  the 
bright  prospects  of  abundance  were  quickly  cut  off. 
Swarms  of  locusts  infested  the  land,  and  vegetation 
was  entirely  destroyed.  This  led  to  great  scarcity, 
and  although  the  natives  caught  and  ate  the  locusts, 
hunger  and  suffering  prevailed.  The  missionaries' 
cattle  could  not  be  let  out  of  sight,  or  they  were 
instantly  stolen.  One  day  two  noted  fellows  from 
the  mountains  pounced  down  upon  a  man  who  had 
charge  of  some  oxen.  They  murdered  the  man  and 
made  off  with  an  ox. 

To  become  proficient  in  the  Sechwana  language 
was  the  earnest  purpose  of  Robert  Moffat.  At  the  end 
of  the  year  1826,  having  moved  into  his  new  dwelling, 
built  of  stone,  and  the  state  of  the  country  being 
somewhat  more  tranquil,  he  left  his  home  and  family, 
to  sojourn  for  a  time  among  the  Barolongs,  so  that  he 
might  live  exclusively  with  the  natives  and  attend  to 
their  speech. 

He  made  the  journey  by  ox-waggon,  and  was 
accompanied  by  the  waggon-driver,  a  boy,  and  two 
Barolongs  who  were  journeying  to  the  same  place  as 
himself.  The  dangers  attending  these  journeyings 
from  tribe  to  tribe  were  by  no  means  imaginary,  the 
following,  related  in  Moffat's  own  words,  serving  as  an 
illustration  of  some  of  the  perils  often  encountered  : 

"  The  two  Barolongs  had  brought  a  young  cow  with 
them,  and  though  I  recommended  their  making  her 
fast  as  well  as  the  oxen,  they  humorously  replied  that 
she  was  too  wise  to  leave  the  waggon,  even  though  a 
lion  should  be  scented.  We  took  a  little  supper, 
which  was  followed  by  our  evening  hymn  and  prayer. 
I  had  retired  only  a  few  minutes  to  my  waggon  to 
prepare  for  the  night,  when  the  whole  of  the  oxen 


8o  ROBERT   MOFFAT. 

Started  to  their  feet.  A  lion  had  seized  the  cow  only 
a  few  steps  from  their  tails,  and  dragged  it  to  the 
distance  of  thirty  or  forty  yards,  where  we  distinctly 
heard  it  tearing  the  animal  and  breaking  its  bones, 
while  its  bellowings  were  most  pitiful.  When  these 
were  over,  I  seized  my  gun,  but  as  it  was  too  dark  to 
see  half  the  distance,  I  aimed  at  the  spot  where  the 
devouring  jaws  of  the  lion  were  heard.  I  fired  again 
and  again,  to  which  he  replied  with  tremendous  roars, 
at  the  same  time  making  a  rush  towards  the  waggon 
so  as  exceedingly  to  terrify  the  oxen.  The  two 
Barolongs  engaged  to  take  firebrands  and  throw  them 
at  him  so  as  to  afford  me  a  degree  of  light  that 
I  might  take  aim.  They  had  scarcely  discharged 
them  from  their  hands  when  the  flames  went  out,  and 
the  enraged  animal  rushed  towards  them  with  such 
swiftness,  that  I  had  barely  time  to  turn  the  gun  and 
fire  between  the  men  and  the  lion.  The  men  darted 
through  some  thorn  bushes  with  countenances  indica- 
tive of  the  utmost  terror.  It  was  now  the  opinion  of 
all  that  we  had  better  let  him  alone  if  he  did  not 
molest  us. 

"  Having  but  a  scanty  supply  of  wood  to  keep  up  a 
fire,  one  man  crept  among  the  bushes  on  one  side  of 
the  pool,  while  I  proceeded  for  the  same  purpose  on 
the  other  side.  I  had  not  gone  far,  when  looking 
upward  to  the  edge  of  the  small  basin,  I  discerned 
between  me  and  the  sky  four  animals,  whose  attention 
appeared  to  be  directed  to  me  by  the  noise  I  made  in 
breaking  a  dry  stick.  On  closer  inspection  I  found 
that  the  large  round,  hairy-headed  visitors  were  lions, 
and  retreated  on  my  hands  and  feet  towards  the  other 
side  of  the  pool,  when  coming  to  my  waggon-driver, 
I  found  him  looking  with  no  little  alarm  in  an 
opposite  direction,  and  with  good  reason,  as  no  fewer 


VISIT   TO   MAKABA. 


8l 


than  two  lions  with  a  cub  were  eyeing  us  both, 
apparently  as  uncertain  about  us  as  we  were  distrust- 
ful of  them.  Wc  thankfully  decamped  to  the  waggon 
and  sat  down  to  keep  alive  our  scanty  fire,  while  we 
listened  to  the  lion  tearing  and  devouring  his  prey. 
When  any  of  the  other  hungry  lions  dared  to  approach 


BAROLONG   WOMEN. 


he  would  pursue  them  for  some  paces  with  a  horrible 
howl,  which  made  our  poor  oxen  tremble,  and  produced 
anything  but  agreeable  sensations  to  ourselves.  We 
had  reason  for  alarm,  lest  any  of  the  six  lions  we  saw, 
fearless  of  our  small  fire,  might  rush  in  among  us." 
From  these  dangers  Moffat  was  mercifully  preserved 


82  ROBERT    MOFFAT. 

and  after  journeying  for  six  days  he  reached  the 
village  of  a  young  chief  named  Bogachu.  At  this 
place,  and  at  one  about  twenty  miles  distant,  he  lived 
a  semi-savage  life  for  ten  weeks.  To  use  a  common 
expression  he  "  made  himself  at  home  "  among  them. 
They  were  kind  and  appeared  delighted  with  his 
company,  especially  as  when  food  run  scarce,  he  could 
take  his  gun  and  shoot  a  rhinoceros  or  some  other 
animal,  when  a  night  of  feasting  and  talking  would 
follow. 

Every  opportunity  was  embraced  by  the  missionary 
of  imparting  Christian  instruction  to  these  people ; 
their  supreme  idea  of  happiness,  however,  seemed  able 
to  rise  no  higher  than  having  plenty  of  meat.  Asking 
a  man,  who  seemed  more  grave  than  the  rest,  what 
was  the  finest  sight  he  could  desire,  he  replied, 
"  A  great  fire  covered  with  pots  full  of  meat,"  adding, 
"  How  ugly  the  fire  looks  without  a  pot." 

The  object  of  the  journey  was  fully  gained  ;  hence- 
forth Robert  Moffat  needed  no  interpreter  ;  he  could 
now  speak  and  preach  to  the  people  in  their  own 
tongue.  He  found  all  well  on  reaching  home  and 
prepared  to  settle  down  with  a  feeling  of  ability  to  the 
work  of  translation. 

The  prospects  of  the  mission  at  this  time  began  to 
brighten.  Several  thousands  of  the  natives  had 
gathered  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  valley,  near  the 
mission  station.  They  were  becoming  more  settled 
in  their  minds,  and  would  collect  in  the  different 
divisions  of  the  town  when  the  missionaries  visited 
them  ;  the  public  attendance  at  the  regular  religious 
services  daily  increased,  and  the  school  was  better 
attended.  No  visible  signs  of  an  inward  change  in 
the  natives  could  yet  be  seen,  but  Moffat  and  his 
fellovz-workers  felt  certain  that  this  was  not  far  off. 


VISIT   TO   MAKABA.  83 

War  again  intervened  and  darkened  the  brighten- 
ing prospects.  Once  more  the  missionaries,  after 
prayerful  consideration,  felt  it  necessary  to  flee  to 
Griqua  Town,  suffering  much  loss  of  time  and  of 
property.  Happily  the  storm  passed  over,  and,  on 
returning  to  the  Kuruman,  they  found  their  houses, 
and  such  property  as  they  had  left  behind,  in  good 
order,  a  proof  of  the  influence  they  were  gaining  over 
the  once  thievish  Bechwanas.  Half  the  oxen  and 
nearly  all  the  cows  belonging  to  the  missionaries 
were,  however,  dead,  no  milk  could  be  obtained, 
and,  worse  than  these  evils,  the  people  had  fled,  leav- 
ing their  native  houses  but  heaps  of  ashes. 

Sorrowfully  these  servants  of  God  resolved  once 
more  to  resume  their  labours.  A  few  poor  natives 
had  remained  at  the  station,  whose  numbers  were 
being  increased  by  others  who  arrived  from  day  to  day. 

At  this  trying  time  the  hearts  of  Robert  Moffat  and 
his  companions  were  cheered  by  the  arrival  of  the 
Rev.  Robert  Miles,  the  Society's  superintendent,  who, 
having  made  himself  conversant  with  the  affairs  of 
the  station,  suggested  the  great  importance  of  prepar- 
ing something  like  hymns  in  the  native  language.  By 
the  continued  singing  of  these,  he  stated  the  great 
truths  of  salvation  would  become  imperceptibly 
written  on  the  minds  of  the  people. 

The  suggestion  so  kindly  made  was  acted  upon,  and 
Moffat  prepared  the  first  hymn  in  the  language.  The 
spelling-books  also  arrived,  which  enabled  the  mis- 
sionaries to  open  a  school  in  the  Sechwana  tongue. 
Mr.  Miles  returned,  and  the  stated  labours  of  the 
mission  were  carried  forward.  With  few  interrup- 
tions they  had  been  continued  for  ten  years  without 
fruit.  But  the  dawn  of  a  new  era  seemed  now  ready 
to  rise  above  the  horizon. 


84  ROBERT   MOFFAT. 

Yet  again,  however,  was  their  faith  to  be  sorely 
tried  by  the  terrible  scourge — war.  The  desperadoes 
consisted  this  time  of  a  party  advancing  from  the 
Orange  River,  among  whom  were  some  Griquas. 
The  suspense  and  anxiety  were  great,  but  recourse 
was  had  to  prayer.  On  this  occasion  the  missionaries 
determined  to  remain  at  their  post.  A  first  attack 
was  repulsed  through  the  intrepidity  of  an  escaped 
slave  named  Aaron  Josephs,  and  a  peaceful  interval 
intervened  of  about  two  months,  when  a  second  attack 
on  the  mission  premises  was  threatened.  By  Moffat's 
directions,  the  heights  at  the  back  of  the  station  were 
crowded  with  men,  to  give  the  appearance  of  a  large 
defending  force,  though  probably  not  a  dozen  guns 
could  have  been  mustered  among  them.  The  assail- 
ants seeing  the  preparations  for  defence,  drew  up 
at  some  distance,  and,  after  a  short  delay,  sent  for- 
ward two  messengers  with  a  flag  of  truce.  Moffat 
went  out  to  meet  them,  and  learned  that  a  renegade 
Christian  Griqua  named  Jantye  Goeman  wished  to  see 
him  at  their  camp. 

A  meeting  was  arranged  half  way  between  the 
station  and  the  camp,  and  Jantye,  who  was  ashamed 
to  let  the  missionary  see  his  face,  as  he  had  known 
him  at  Griqua  Town,  tried  to  lay  all  the  blame 
upon  another  renegade,  a  Coranna  chief  named  Paul, 
who  had,  in  days  gone  by,  entertained  Robert  Moffat 
and  visited  his  dwelling. 

At  this  moment  a  waggon  was  seen  approaching, 
and  fearing  it  might  contain  some  one  from  Griqua 
Town,  and  seeing  that  a  hostile  movement  was  made 
towards  it,  Moffat  turned  to  Jantye  and  said,  "  I  shall 
not  see  your  face  till  the  waggon  and  its  owners  are 
safe  on  the  station."  He  instantly  ran  off  and  brought 
the  waggon  through,  when  it  was  found  to  contain 


VISIT   TO   MAKABA.  8^ 

the  Wcslcyaii  missionaries  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Archbcll 
from  Platberg. 

At  last,  after  much  hesitation,  Paul  himself  came 
near.  He  could  not  look  at  Moffat,  and  kept  his  hat 
drawn  down  over  his  eyes.  He  told  the  missionary  that 
he  himself  need  have  no  fear,  but  that  revenge  should 
be  had  upon  the  Batlaping  who  were  at  Kuruman. 
"  I  shall  have  their  blood  and  their  cattle  too,"  said 
Paul,  as  his  eyes  glared  with  fury. 

Long  and  patiently  Moffat  argued  with  him,  show- 
ing him  the  enormity  of  his  crimes.  At  last  the 
victory  was  won.  No  shot  was  fired,  and  both  the 
station  and  the  Batlaping  were  saved.  Turning  to  his 
men,  and  referring  to  some  of  the  missionary's  cattle 
which  had  been  stolen,  he  cried,  "  Bring  back  those 
cows  and  sheep  we  took  this  morning." 

It  was  done.  Then  he  said,  "  I  am  going.  There 
are  the  things  of  your  people.  Will  Mynheer  not 
shake  hands  with  me  for  once  ?  " 

"  Of  course  I  will,"  said  Moffat,  "  but  let  me  see 
your  face." 

"  That  I  will  not,  indeed,"  he  replied,  "  I  do  not 
want  to  die  yet.  I  can  see  your  face  through  my 
hat." 

The  rude  hand  of  war  was  henceforth  stayed,  and 
the  land  had  peace  for  half-a-century,  during  which 
time  great  and  happy  changes  took  place  at  the 
Kuruman  station. 


CHAPTER  VII. 

THE   AWAKENING. 

THE  long  delayed,  and  fervently  prayed  for  time 
had  come  at  last.  For  ten  weary  years  these 
earnest  and  faithful  missionaries  had  laboured 
without  seeing  any  results.  Now  their  hearts 
were  to  rejoice  as  they  should  witness  the  work  of  the 
Holy  Spirit,  and  see  those  over  whom  they  had  so 
long  mourned,  brought  to  the  Saviour,  and  out  of 
heathen  darkness  into  Gospel  light. 

"  The  wand  bloweth  where  it  listcth,  and  thou 
hearest  the  sound  thereof,  but  canst  not  tell  whence  it 
cometh,  and  whither  it  goeth  ; "  so  was  it  with  the 
awakening  among  the  Bechwanas  at  the  Kuruman. 
There  seemed  no  apparent  cause  for  the  intensity  of 
feeling  that  was  now  displayed  by  these  people. 
Men,  who  had  scorned  the  idea  of  shedding  a  tear, 
wept  as  their  hearts  were  melted.  The  chapel  became 
a  place  of  weeping,  and  some,  after  gazing  intently 
upon  the  preacher,  fell  down  in  hysterics.  The  little 
chapel  became  too  small  to  hold  the  numbers  who 
flocked  to  it,  and  with  the  voluntary  aid  of  Aaron 
Josephs  a  new  building,  fifty-one  feet  long  by  sixteen 

wide,  with  clay  walls  and  thatched  roof,  was  erected 
86 


THE  AWAKKMNG.  8/ 

to  serve  as  a  school-house  and  place  of  worship,  until 
the  large  stone  church,  which  was  to  form  the  most 
prominent  feature  of  the  station,  should  be  completed. 

This  temporary  church  was  opened  in  May,  1829, 
and  in  the  following  month,  after  very  careful 
examination,  six  candidates  for  baptism  were  selected 
from  among  the  inquirers.  Speaking  of  these 
converts  Robert  Moffat  said,  "  It  was  truly  gratifying 
to  observe  the  simplicity  of  their  faith,  implicitly 
relying  on  the  atonement  of  Christ,  of  which  they 
appeared  to  have  a  very  clear  conception,  considering 
the  previous  darkness  of  their  minds  on  such  subjects." 

They  were  baptised  on  the  first  Sabbath  in  July,  a 
large  number  of  spectators  from  the  neighbouring 
towns,  and  a  party  of  Griquas,  being  present.  In  the 
evening  the  missionaries,  the  new  disciples,  and  a 
Griqua,  twelve  in  all,  sat  down  to  the  Lord's  table. 
In  connection  with  this  event  an  interesting  anecdote 
is  related  showing  the  strong  faith  of  Mary  Moffat ! 

On  one  occasion,  some  time  before  this  event,  when 
all  seemed  dark,  her  friend  Mrs.  Greaves  of  Sheffield 
had  written  to  Mary  Moffat  kindly  inquiring  if  there 
was  anything  of  use  which  she  could  send.  The  reply 
returned  was,  "  Send  us  a  communion  service,  we  shall 
want  it  some  day."  Communication  between  the 
Kuruman  and  England  was  tardy  then,  and  before 
an  answer  came  to  her  letter  the  darkness  increased, 
and  the  Bechwanas  seemed  as  far  from  salvation 
as  ever.  On  the  day  preceding  the  reception  of  the 
first  converts  into  the  Kuruman  Church,  a  box 
arrived  from  England,  which  had  been  twelve  months 
on  the  road,  and  in  it  were  found  the  communion 
vessels  that  Mary  Moffat  had  asked  for  more  than 
two  years  before. 

Great  as  was  the  change,  the  missionaries  rejoiced 


88  ROBERT   MOFFAT. 

with  trembling.  They  knew  that  there  were  great 
prejudices  to  be  overcome,  and  that  the  relation  in 
which  the  Christians  stood  to  their  heathen  neighbours 
would  expose  their  faith  to  trial.  But  they  prayed 
and  believed  that  He  who  had  begun  the  good  work 
would  carry  it  on. 

The  change  of  heart  speedily  produced  a  change  in 
dress  and  habits.  Those  who  had  been  baptised  had 
previously  procured  decent  raiment,  and  prepared  it 
for  the  occasion  with  Mrs.  Moffat's  assistance.  A 
sewing-school  had  hitherto  been  uncalled  for,  the 
women's  work  having  been  that  of  building  houses, 
raising  fences,  and  tilling  the  ground ;  now  Mrs.  Moffat 
met  those  who  desired  to  learn  as  often  as  her  strength 
would  permit,  and  soon  she  had  a  motley  group  of 
pupils,  very  few  of  the  whole  party  possessing  either  a 
frock  or  a  gown.  The  scarcity  of  materials  was  a 
serious  impediment  to  progress,  but  ornaments,  which 
before  the  natives  had  held  in  high  repute,  were  now 
parted  with  to  purchase  the  skins  of  animals,  which 
being  prepared  almost  as  soft  as  cloth  were  made 
into  jackets,  trousers,  and  gowns.  When  a  visit  was 
paid  by  a  trader,  British  manufactures  were  eagerly 
bought. 

In  the  progress  of  improvement  some  amusing 
incidents  occurred.  A  man  might  be  seen  in  a  jacket 
with  one  sleeve,  because  the  other  was  not  yet  finished ; 
or  others  went  about  in  duffel  jackets  with  sleeves  of 
cotton  of  various  colours  ;  gowns  like  Joseph's  coat 
were  worn,  and  dresses  of  such  fantastic  shapes,  that 
to  tell  the  fashion  of  the  same  would  have  been  a 
puzzle. 

To  Mrs.  Moffat  general  application  was  made  both 
by  males  and  females.  Ovo  brought  skins  to  be  cut 
into  dresses,  another  wanted  a  jacket,  a  third  a  pattern. 


THE  AWAKENING.  89 

while  a  fourth  brought  his  jacket  sewed  upside  down, 
and  asked  why  it  did  not  fit.  Fat,  which  before  they 
ahvays  considered  was  to  be  rubbed  on  their  bodies  or 
deposited  in  their  stomachs,  they  now  found  useful  in 
making  candles  to  give  light  in  their  dwellings. 

The  prospects  of  the  missionaries  continued  cheer- 
ing, and  the  increased  anxiety  for  instruction  and 
growth  in  knowledge  among  the  candidates  greatly 
strengthened  their  hands.  "  I  seek  Jesus,"  one  would 
say  ;  a  second,  "  I  am  feeling  after  God,  I  have  been 
wandering,  unconscious  of  my  danger,  among  beasts 
of  prey ;  the  day  has  dawned,  I  see  my  danger." 
The  missionaries  were  cautious  men,  and  were  slow  to 
receive  members  into  their  little  church,  but  the 
evidence  was  complete  that  numbers  were  saved. 

The  happy  death  of  a  native  woman  about  this 
time  afforded  them  much  encouragement.  When  she 
knew  her  end  was  near,  she  said  to  those  around, 
"  I  am  going  to  die.  Weep  not  because  I  am  going 
to  leave  you,  but  weep  for  your  sins  and  your  souls. 
With  me  all  is  well,  for  do  not  suppose  that  I  die  like 
a  beast,  or  that  I  shall  sleep  for  ever  in  the  grave. 
No !  Jesus  has  died  for  my  sins  ;  He  has  said  he  will 
save  me,  I  am  going  to  be  with  Him."  Thus  one  who 
a  few  months  before  was  as  ignorant  as  the  cattle, 
departed  with  the  full  assurance  of  an  eternal  life 
beyond  the  grave. 

Rumours  had  for  some  time  past  reached  the 
Kuruman  station  of  a  strong  and  warlike  people  who 
dwelt  to  the  eastward,  spoke  another  language,  and 
were  strangers  to  the  Bechwanas.  In  the  latter 
portion  of  1829,  two  envoys  were  specially  sent  from 
Moselekatse,  the  king  of  this  people,  the  Matabele,  to 
the  mission  station  at  Kuruman,  to  learn  about  the 
manners  and  teaching  of  the  white  men  there. 


90  ROBERT   MOFFAT. 

These  envoys,  who  were  two  of  the  king's  head 
men,  were  entertained,  the  principal  objects,  industries, 
and  methods  of  living  were  pointed  out  to  them  ;  but 
their  greatest  wonder  was  excited  when  they  beheld 
the  public  worship  in  the  mission  chapel.  They 
listened  to  the  hymns,  and  to  the  address,  part  of 
which  only  they  understood,  and  were  much  sur- 
prised when  they  heard  that  the  hymns  were  not  war 
songs. 

When  the  time  came  for  the  ambassadors  to  depart, 
they  begged  Robert  Moffat  to  accompany  them,  as 
they  were  afraid  of  the  Bechwana  tribes  through  whom 
they  would  have  to  pass  on  their  return  journey.  This 
circumstance  led  to  his  visiting  the  warlike  Mosclekatse, 
over  whom  he  obtained  a  marvellous  influence. 

The  details  of  the  journey  we  must  pass  over.  As 
they  advanced  they  saw  evidences  on  every  hand  of 
the  terrible  Mantatees,  and  the  still  more  terrible 
Matabele.  In  places,  where  populous  towns  and 
villages  had  been,  nothing  remained  but  dilapidated 
walls  and  heaps  of  stones,  mingled  with  human  skulls. 
The  country  had  become  the  abode  of  reptiles  and 
beasts  of  prey  ;  the  inhabitants  having  perished  beneath 
the  spears  and  clubs  of  their  savage  enemies. 

The  reception  accorded  Robert  Moffat  by  Mosele- 
katse  may  best  be  described  in  the  missionary's  own 
words  : — 

"We  proceeded  directly  to  the  town,  and  on  riding 
into  the  centre  of  the  large  fold,  we  were  rather  taken 
by  surprise  to  find  it  lined  by  eight  hundred  warriors, 
besides  two  hundred  who  were  concealed  on  each  side 
of  the  entrance,  as  if  in  ambush.  We  were  beckoned 
to  dismount,  which  we  did,  holding  our  horses'  bridles 
in  our  hands.  The  warriors  at  the  gate  instantly 
rushed  in  with  hideous  yells,  and  leaping  from   the 


THE  AWAlCENtlSfG.  91 

earth  with  a  kind  of  kilt  round  their  bodies,  hanging 
like  loose  tails,  and  their  large  shields,  frightened  our 
horses.  They  then  joined  the  circle,  falling  into  rank 
with  as  much  order  as  if  they  had  been  accustomed 
to  European  tactics.  Here  we  stood,  surrounded  by 
warriors,  whose  kilts  were  of  ape  skins,  and  their  legs 
and  arms  adorned  with  the  hair  and  tails  of  oxen,  their 
shields  reaching  to  their  chins  and  their  heads  adorned 
with  feathers. 

"  A  profound  silence  followed  for  some  ten  minutes  ; 
then  all  commenced  a  war-song,  stamping  their  feet  in 
time  with  the  music.  No  one  approached,  though 
every  eye  was  fixed  upon  us.  Then  all  was  silent, 
and  Moselekatse  marched  out  from  behind  the  lines 
with  an  interpreter,  and  with  attendants  following, 
bearing  meat,  beer,  and  other  food.  He  gave  us  a 
hearty  salutation  and  seemed  overjoyed." 

The  waggons  were  objects  that  struck  the  dusky 
monarch  with  awe.  He  examined  them  minutely, 
especially  the  wheels  ;  one  point  remained  a  mystery, 
how  the  iron  tire  surrounding  the  wheel  came  to  be  in 
one  piece  without  end  or  joint.  Umbate,  the  head- 
man, who  had  visited  the  mission  station,  explained 
what  he  had  seen  in  the  smith's  shop  there.  "  My 
eyes,"  said  he,  "saw  that  very  hand,"  pointing  to 
Moffat's  hand,  "  cut  these  bars  of  iron,  take  a  piece  off 
one  end,  and  then  join  them  as  you  now  see  them." 
"Does  he  give  medicine  to  the  iron?"  the  monarch 
inquired.  "  No,"  said  Umbate,  "  nothing  is  used  but 
fire,  a  hammer,  and  a  chisel." 

This  powerful  chieftain  was  an  absolute  despot 
ruling  over  a  tribe  of  fierce  warriors,  who  knew  no  will 
but  his.  He  was  the  terror  of  all  the  surrounding 
country,  his  smile  was  life,  his  frown  scattered  horror 
and  death.     Yet  even  in  his  savajie  breast  there  were 


92  ROBERT   MOFFAT. 

chords  that  could  be  touched  by  kindness,  and  Moffat 
received  many  tokens  of  his  friendship  during  the 
eight  days  that  he  stayed  in  his  town. 

During  one  of  their  first  interviews  the  monarch, 
laying  his  hand  upon  Moffat's  shoulder,  said,  "  My 
heart  is  all  white  as  milk  ;  I  am  still  wondering  at  the 
love  of  a  stranger  who  never  saw  me.  You  have  fed 
me,  you  have  protected  me,  you  have  carried  me  in 
your  arms.     I  live  to-day  by  you,  a  stranger." 

Upon  Moffat  replying  that  he  was  unaware  of 
having  rendered  him  any  such  sei'vice,  he  said,  point- 
ing to  his  two  ambassadors  :  "  These  are  great  men  ; 
Umbate  is  my  right  hand.  When  I  sent  them  from 
my  presence  to  see  the  land  of  the  white  men,  I  sent 
my  ears,  my  eyes,  my  mouth  ;  what  they  heard 
I  heard,  what  they  saw  I  saw,  and  what  they  said  it 
was  Moselekatse  who  said  it.  You  fed  them  and 
clothed  them,  and  when  they  were  to  be  slain  you 
were  their  shield.  You  did  it  unto  me.  You  did  it 
unto  Moselekatse,  the  son  of  Machobane." 

Moffat  explained  to  this  African  king  the  objects 
of  the  missionary,  and  pressed  upon  him  the  truths  of 
the  Gospel.  On  one  occasion  the  king  came  attended 
by  a  party  of  his  warriors,  who  remained  at  a  short 
distance  dancing  and  singing.  "  Their  yells  and 
shouts,"  says  Moffat,  "  their  fantastic  leaps  and  dis- 
torted gestures,  would  have  impressed  a  stranger  with 
the  idea  that  they  were  more  like  a  company  of  fiends 
than  men."  As  he  looked  upon  the  scene,  his  mind 
was  occupied  in  contemplating  the  miseries  of  the 
savage  state.  He  spoke  to  the  king  on  man's  ruin 
and  man's  redemption.  "Why,"  said  the  monarch, 
"  are  you  so  earnest  that  I  abandon  all  war,  and  do 
not  kill  men  ?  "  "  Look  on  the  human  bones  which  lie 
scattered  over  your  dominions,"  was  the  missionary's 


THE  AWAKENING.  93 

answer.  "  They  speak  in  awful  language,  and  to  me 
they  say,  "  Whosoever  shccldeth  man's  blood,  by  man 
also  will  his  blood  be  shed."  Moffat  also  spoke  of 
the  Resurrection,  a  startling  subject  for  a  savage  and 
murderer  like  Moselekatsc. 

The  kindness  of  the  king  extended  to  the  mission- 
ary's return  journey.  Food  in  abundance  was  given 
to  him,  and  a  number  of  warriors  attended  his  waggon 
as  a  guard  against  lions  on  the  way.  After  an 
absence  of  two  months  he  reached  home  in  safety, 
where  he  found  all  well,  and  the  Divine  blessing  still 
resting  upon  the  Mission.  Copious  showers  had  fallen, 
and  the  fields  and  gardens  teemed  with  plenty.  The 
converts  and  many  others,  leaving  their  old  traditions 
as  to  horticulture,  imitated  the  example  of  the 
missionaries  in  leading  out  water  to  their  gardens, 
and  raised  crops,  not  only  of  their  native  grain, 
pumpkins,  kidney-beans,  and  water-melons,  but  also 
vegetables,  such  as  the  missionaries  had  introduced, 
maize,  wheat,  barley,  peas,  potatoes,  carrots,  onions, 
and  tobacco — this  latter  they  had  formerly  purchased 
from  the  Bahurutsi,  but  now  it  became  a  profitable 
article  of  traffic.     They  also  planted  fruit  trees. 

As  an  illustration  of  their  zeal,  which  was  not 
always  according  to  knowledge,  the  following  may  be 
given.  The  course  of  the  missionary's  water-trench 
along  the  side  of  a  hill,  appeared  as  if  it  ascended, 
therefore  several  of  the  natives  set  to  work  in  good 
earnest,  and  cut  courses  leading  directly  up  hill, 
hoping  the  water  would  one  day  follow. 

The  spiritual  affairs  of  the  station  kept  pace  with 
the  external  improvements.  The  temporary  chapel 
continued  to  be  well  filled,  a  growing  seriousness  was 
observable  among  the  people,  progress  was  made  in 
reading,  and  there  was  every  reason   for  encourage- 


94  ROBERT   MOFFAT. 

ment.  Early  in  1830,  after  the  second  mission-house 
had  been  finished  and  occupied  by  Mr.  Hamilton,  the 
foundation  of  a  new  and  substantial  stone  church  was 
laid.  Circumstances,  however,  and  especially  the 
difficulty  of  procuring  suitable  timber  for  the  roof 
delayed  its  completion  for  several  years. 

The  work  of  translation  had  been  kept  steadily  in 
view.  In  June,  1830,  Robert  Moffat  had  finished  the 
translation  into  Sechwana,  of  the  Gospel  of  Luke,  and 
a  long  projected  journey  to  the  coast  was  undertaken 
by  him  and  his  wife.  The  journey  had  for  its  objects, 
to  put  the  two  elder  children  to  school,  to  get  the 
translation  of  Luke  printed,  and  to  collect  subscrip- 
tions among  friends  in  the  Colony  towards  the  building 
of  the  new  place  of  worship. 

At  Philippolis,  on  their  journey,  they  met  with  the 
French  missionaries  Rolland  and  Lemue,  of  the 
Paris  Protestant  Missionary  Society,  and  also  with 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Baillie,  who  had  been  appointed  by  the 
London  Missionary  Society  to  the  Kuruman  Mission. 
At  Graham's  Town,  Mary  Moffat  remained  behind 
to  place  the  children  at  the  Wesleyan  school  near  there, 
and  Robert  visited  several  of  the  mission  stations  in 
Kafirland,  and  afterwards  some  of  those  within  the 
Colony,  finally  reaching  Cape  Town  in  October, 
1830. 

At  that  early  day  printing  in  Cape  Town  was  in 
its  infancy.  It  was  therefore  found  necessary  to  make 
application  to  the  Governor  to  allow  the  Gospel  of 
Luke  in  Sechwana  to  be  printed  at  the  Government 
Printing  Office.  The  request  was  cheerfully  acceded 
to,  but  compositors  there  were  none  to  undertake  the 
work.  This  difficulty,  combined  with  the  promise  of 
an  excellent  printing  press,  which  Dr.  Philip  had  in 
his   possession    for   the    Kuruman    Mission,   induced 


THE  AWAKENING.  95 

Moffat  to  learn  printing.  He  was  joined  by  Mr. 
Edwards,  who  was  now  appointed  to  the  Kuruman 
station,  and  under  the  kind  superintendence  of  the 
assistant  in  charge  of  the  office,  they  soon  not  only 
completed  the  work  they  had  in  hand,  but  acquired  a 
fair  knowledge  of  the  art  of  printing.  Besides  the 
Gospel  of  Luke,  a  small  hymn-book  was  printed  in 
the  Sechwana  language. 

A  violent  attack  of  bilious  fever  followed  these 
labours,  which  had  been  carried  on  in  the  hottest 
season  of  the  year,  and  when  the  time  came  for 
Robert  Moffat  to  leave  Cape  Town  he  had  to  be 
carried  on  board  the  ship  on  a  mattress.  The  sea 
passage  to  Algoa  Bay,  however,  although  a  rough 
one,  tended  greatly  to  his  restoration  to  health. 

Sickness  among  their  oxen,  and  the  birth  of  a 
daughter,  whom  they  named  Elizabeth,  detained  the 
Moffats  some  time  at  Bethelsdorp,  on  their  return 
journey ;  from  which  place,  accompanied  by  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Edwards,  they  went  forward  to  the  Kuruman, 
where  they  arrived  in  June,  1831.  They  carried  with 
them  the  edition  of  the  Gospel  of  Luke,  a  hymn-book 
printed  in  the  language  of  the  people,  a  printing- 
press,  type,  paper,  and  ink,  besides  liberal  subscriptions 
from  friends  in  the  Colony  towards  the  erection  of 
the  mission  church. 

Great  was  the  astonishment  of  the  natives  when 
they  saw  the  printing-press  at  work.  Lessons, 
spelling-books  and  catechisms  were  prepared  for  the 
schools.  To  see  a  white  sheet  of  paper  disappear  for 
a  moment  and  then  emerge  covered  with  letters  was 
beyond  their  comprehension.  After  a  few  noisy 
exclamations  one  obtained  a  sheet,  with  which  he 
bounded  through  the  village,  showing  it  to  all  he  met, 
and  saying  it  had  been  made  in  a  moment  with  a 


g6  ROBERT   MOFFAT. 

round  black  hammer  (a  printer's  ball)  and  a  shake  of 
the  arm. 

A  large  box  containing  materials  for  clothing  from 
a  friend  in  Manchester,  Miss  Lees,  had  also  formed 
part  of  the  baggage  brought  from  the  Cape.  Materials 
being  now  at  hand,  and  Mrs.  Edwards  and  Mrs. 
Baillie  co-operating,  a  sewing-school  on  a  much 
larger  scale  was  established,  to  the  great  comfort  and 
improvement  of  the  natives. 

The  congregation  continued  to  increase  and  new 
members  were  added  to  the  church,  but  sorrows 
tempered  the  joy  of  this  happy  time.  Small-pox 
entered  the  country,  and  many  of  the  inhabitants 
died  ;  with  them  passed  away  one  of  the  daughters  of 
Robert  and  Mary  Moffat.  Towards  the  end  of  1832 
the  labourers  at  Kuruman  were  cheered  by  a  visit 
from  Dr.  Philip,  who  arranged  that  the  two  French 
missionaries,  Rolland  and  Lemue,  should  commence 
a  mission  station  at  Motito,  a  place  nearly  forty  miles 
distant,  in  a  north-easterly  direction. 

In  January,  1835,  a  scientific  expedition  under 
Dr.  Andrew  Smith,  arrived  at  Moffat's  station.  This 
visit  appeared  as  though  ordered  by  an  over-ruling 
Providence  for  the  especial  benefit  of  himself  and  his 
devoted  wife.  It  found  them  in  sore  trouble,  and 
it  brought  help  and  a  friend  in  time  of  need. 
Mr.  Edwards  was  away  and  Robert  had  been  over- 
worked. When  Dr.  Smith  arrived,  he  found  him 
suffering  from  an  attack  of  intermittent  fever,  and 
hastened  to  render  aid.  Under  the  Doctor's  skilful 
treatment  he  speedily  recovered.  On  the  loth  of 
March  another  son  was  added  to  the  Moffat  family, 
and  shortly  afterwards  Mary  was  suddenly  taken 
seriously  ill,  and  became  so  weak,  that  for  many  days 
her  recovery  seemed  hopeless.     The  Doctor  was  at 


THE   AWAKENING. 


97 


that  time  away  surveying,  but  upon  receiving  informa- 
tion of  the  position  of  affairs  at  Kuruman,  he  imme- 
diately hastened  to  render  all  the  assistance  in  his 
power. 

Speaking  of  this  friend,  raised  up  so  unexpectedly, 
Robert  Moffat  writes  in  his  book  :  "  His  tender  sym- 
pathy and  unremitting  attention  in  that  trying  season, 
during  which  all  hope  of  her  recovery  had  fled,  can 
never  be  erased  from  our  grateful  recollection,  for  in 
the  midst  of  his  active  and  laborious  engagements  at 
the  head  of  the  expedition,  he  watched  for  several 
successive  nights,  with  fraternal  sympathy,  what 
appeared  to  be  the  dying  pillow  of  my  beloved 
partner,  nor  did  he  leave  before  she  was  out  of 
danger." 

A  life-long  friendship  was  cherished  for  the  one 
who  had  come  to  them  in  their  sore  need,  and  who 
was  always  most  gratefully  remembered  by  the 
African  missionary  and  his  exemplary  wife. 

Shortly  after  these  events,  at  the  request  of  Dr. 
Smith,  Robert  Moffat  accompanied  the  expedition  on 
a  visit  to  Moselekatse  and  the  Matabele  country. 
Moselekatse  was  delighted  to  see  his  missionary 
friend  again.  The  scientific  expedition  had  per- 
mission to  travel  through  any  part  of  the  monarch's 
territories,  but  Moffat,  the  king  kept  as  his  guest. 
Together  they  visited,  in  the  missionary's  waggon, 
several  of  the  Matabele  towns,  and  many  conversa- 
tions were  held,  in  which  the  importance  of  religion, 
and  the  evil  effects  of  the  king's  policy  were  faithfully 
pointed  out. 

By  this  journey,  which  occupied  three  months,  a 
way  was  paved  for  some  American  missionaries  to 
reside  with  Moselekatse,  and  the  country  was  sur- 
veyed to  find  timber  suitable  for  the  roof  of  the  new 

G 


98  ROBERT   MOFFAT. 

Kuriiman  church-  This  timber  was  afterwards  col- 
lected by  Messrs.  Hamilton  and  Edwards — the  wood- 
cutters having  to  travel  to  a  distance  of  two  hundred 
and  fifty  miles — and  fashioned  into  the  roof  of  the 
church  ;  which  stands  at  this  day  a  monument  of  the 
united  labours  of  Hamilton,  Moffat,   and   Edwards  ; 


MOFFAT  PREACHING   AT   MOSHEU'S   VILLAGE. 

and  a  wonder  to  beholders  as  to  how  such  an  achieve- 
ment could  have  been  performed  with  the  slender 
means  then  at  hand. 

Upon  Moffat's  return  home  again,  his  wife,  by  Dr. 
Smith's    orders,    left    for    the    Cape    to    recruit    her 


THE  AWAKENING.  99 

strength  ;  and  Robert  Moffat  went  itinerating  among 
the  scattered  Bechwanas.  A  most  interesting  time 
was  spent  at  a  village,  one  hundred  and  fifty  miles 
from  Kuruman,  where  a  chief  named  Mosheu  and 
his  people  resided.  Three  times  did  the  missionary 
preach  to  them  on  the  first  day,  besides  answering 
the  questions  of  all  who  gathered  round.  Many 
were  most  anxious  to  learn  to  read,  and  such  spelling- 
books  as  Moffat  had  with  him  were  distributed  among 
them. 

Some  of  the  head  men  thought  they  would  like  to 
try,  and  requested  Moffat  to  teach  them,  A  large 
sheet  alphabet,  torn  at  one  corner,  was  found,  and 
laid  on  the  ground.  All  knelt  in  a  circle  round  it, 
some  of  course  viewing  the  letters  upside  down,  "  I 
commenced  pointing  with  a  stick,"  says  he,  "  and 
when  I  pronounced  one  letter,  all  hallooed  to  some 
purpose.  When  I  remarked  that  perhaps  we  might 
manage  with  somewhat  less  noise,  one  replied,  'that 
he  was  sure  the  louder  he  roared,  the  sooner  would 
his  tongue  get  accustomed  to  the  seeds '  as  he  called 
the  letters." 

Somewhat  later,  a  party  of  young  folks  seized  hold 
of  the  missionary,  with  the  request,  "  Oh,  teach  us  the 
ABC  with  music."  Dragged  and  pushed,  he  entered 
one  of  the  largest  native  houses,  which  was  instantly 
crowded.  The  tune  of  "  Auld  Lang  Syne "  was 
pitched  to  A  B  C,  and  soon  the  strains  were  echoed 
to  the  farthest  corner  of  the  village.  Between  two 
and  three  o'clock  on  the  following  morning,  Moffat 
got  permission  to  retire  to  rest ;  his  slumbers  were, 
however,  disturbed  by  the  assiduity  of  the  sable 
choristers  ;  and  on  awaking  after  a  brief  repose,  his 
ears  were  greeted  on  all  sides  by  the  familiar  notes  of 
the  Scotch  air. 


lOO  ROBERT   MOFFAT. 

Very  pleasing  progress  was  made  by  these  people 
in  Christian  knowledge.  Mosheu  brought  his  daughter 
to  Mrs.  Moffat  for  instruction,  and  his  brother  took 
his  son  to  Mr.  Lemue  at  Motito  for  the  same 
purpose. 

The  mission  at  the  Kuruman  continued  to  prosper, 
both  at  the  home  and  the  out-stations.  Numbers  of 
Bechwanas  were  added  to  the  church,  both  at 
Kuruman  and  Griqua  Town.  Under  Mr.  Edwards' 
superintendence  the  readers  largely  increased,  and  the 
Infant  School,  commenced  and  carried  on  by  Mrs. 
Edwards,  with  the  assistance  of  a  native  girl,  was 
highly  satisfactory.  Civilisation  advanced,  some  of 
the  natives  purchasing  waggons,  and  using  oxen  for 
labour  which  formerly  had  been  performed  by  women. 
Clothing  was  in  such  demand,  that  a  merchant  named 
Hume,  an  honourable  trader  in  whom  the  mission- 
aries had  confidence,  built  a  house,  and  settled  at  the 
station.  The  new  church,  after  much  labour,  was 
opened  in  November,  1838,  on  which  occasion 
between  eight  and  nine  hundred  persons  attended  the 
service ;  and  on  the  following  Sabbath,  one  hundred 
and  fifty  members  united  in  celebrating  the  Lord's 
Supper. 

Persevering  Christian  love,  combined  with  strong 
faith,  much  prayer,  and  untiring  labour,  had  changed 
the  barren  wilderness  into  a  fruitful  land. 


CHAPTER  VIII. 


VISIT   TO  ENGLAND. 


THE  work  of  Bible  translation  had  been  steadily 
pressed  forward ;  all  available  time  having 
been  devoted  by  Robert  Moffat  to  that  under- 
taking. By  the  end  of  1838,  the  whole  of  the 
New  Testament  had  been  rendered  into  the  native 
tongue,  and  a  journey  was  made  by  the  Moffats  to 
Cape  Town,  to  recruit  their  health,  and  to  get  the 
Sechwana  New  Testament  printed  ;  the  task  being 
too  heavy  for  the  mission  press.  Cape  Town  was  but 
little  better  off  than  the  Kuruman  for  accomplishing 
a  work  of  this  magnitude,  and  it  speedily  became 
apparent  that  the  printing  would  have  to  be  under- 
taken in  England. 

Twenty-two  years  had  passed  away  since  the 
youthful  missionary  stood  upon  the  deck  of  the 
Alacrity,  and  bade  farewell  to  the  land  of  his  birth. 
During  that  time  he  had  never  allowed  his  interest  in 
the  affairs  of  his  native  country  to  grow  cold.  Letters 
and  newspapers  had  been  eagerly  welcomed,  and  the 
memory  of  friends  in  the  far  distant  isle  had  been 
most  keenly  cherished,  both  by  him  and  his  Mary. 
Now   once  more  they  were  to  tread  upon    its  well- 

lOI 


102  ROBERT   MOFFAT. 

loved  shores,  and  to  tell  to  its  people  the  story  of 
God's  work  among  the  savage  tribes  of  South  Africa. 

There  were  no  floating  "  Castles  "  *  at  that  time, 
making  the  journey  in  twenty  days,  and  a  passage  had 
to  be  taken  in  a  small  ship  homeward-bound  from 
China,  having  troops  on  board.  Measles  raged  at  the 
Cape,  and  sickness  was  on  board  ship.  Between  the 
two  the  Mofifats  had  much  to  endure,  and  the  vessel 
had  not  left  Table  Bay  when  another  daughter  was 
born  to  add  to  their  joy  and  anxiety.  Three  days' 
after  his  sister  came,  dear  six-year-old  Jamie,  lying 
beside  his  prostrate  mother  in  her  cot,  was  called  to 
the  Better  Land,  with  the  words, "  Oh,  that  will  be  joy- 
ful, when  we  meet  to  part  no  more,"  upon  his  dying  lips. 

On  the  6th  June,  1839,  the  ship  anchored  off  Cowes, 
and  a  few  days  later  reached  London.  The  reception 
of  Robert  Moffat  was  most  enthusiastic,  and  so  great 
was  the  demand  for  his  presence  at  public  meetings, 
that  it  was  with  the  utmost  difficulty  he  procured  liberty 
to  visit  his  own  friends. 

Twenty  years  had  made  great  changes  in  the  homes 
at  both  Dukinfield  and  Inverkeithing.  Mary  Moffat's 
aged  father  was  living,  but  her  mother  and  a  brother 
had  been  called  away,  another  brother  was  in  America, 
and  a  third  was  a  missionary  in  Madras.  Robert's 
parents  were  still  living,  but  a  brother  and  two  sisters 
had  passed  away.  Many  friends,  whose  kind  and 
eenerous  thoutjhtfulness  had  often  cheered  the  heart 
of  the  faithful  missionary  and  his  faithful  wife  in  their 
voluntary  exile,  now  gathered  around  them,  among 
whom  were  Mrs.  Greaves  of  Sheffield,  the  donor  of  the 
Communion  Service,  and  Miss  Lees  of  Manchester. 

Of  the  events  connected  with  this  visit  to  England, 

*  Donald  Currie's  line  of  Mail  steamships,  the  Gm-th  Castle,  &c., 
which  make  the  voyage  to  the  Cape  in  twenty  days. 


VISIT  TO   ENGLAND.  IO3 

want  of  space  precludes  us  from  giving  details.  A 
great  wave  of  missionary  enthusiasm  at  that  time  swept 
over  the  country,  and  Moffat  found  himself  hurried 
from  town  to  town  with  but  scant  opportunities  for 
rest.  In  May,  1840,  he  preached  the  Anniversary 
Sermon  for  the  London  Missionary  Society,  and,  at 
their  Annual  Meeting,  Exeter  Hall  was  packed  so 
densely  that  after  making  his  speech  in  the  large  upper 
hall,  Moffat  had  to  give  it  again  in  the  smallef  hall 
below. 

An  anecdote  related  in  the  course  of  his  speech  at 
the  Bible  Society's  May  Meeting  shows  the  value  set 
by  a  native  woman  upon  a  single  Gospel  in  the  native 
tongue.  "  She  was  a  Matabele  captive,"  said  Moffat. 
"  Once,  while  visiting  the  sick,  as  I  entered  her  premises, 
I  found  her  sitting  weeping,  with  a  portion  of  the 
Word  of  God  in  her  hand.  I  said,  '  My  child  what  is 
the  cause  of  your  sorrow  ?  Is  the  baby  still  unwell  ?  ' 
'  No,'  she  replied,  '  my  baby  is  well.'  *  Your  mothGi--in- 
law  ? '  I  inquired.  '  No,  no,'  she  said,  *  it  is  my  own  dear 
mother,  who  bore  me.'  Here  she  again  gave  vent  to 
her  grief,  and,  holding  out  the  Gospel  of  Luke,  in  a 
hand  wet  with  tears,  she  said,  '  My  mother  will  never 
see  this  word  ;  she  will  never  hear  this  good  news ! 
Oh,  my  mother  and  my  friends,  they  live  in  heathen 
darkness  ;  and  shall  they  die  without  seeing  the  light 
which  has  shone  on  me,  and  without  tasting  that  love 
which  I  have  tasted  ! '  Raising  her  eyes  to  heaven 
she  sighed  a  prayer,  and  I  heard  the  words  again,  '  My 
mother,  my  mother  ! '  " 

His  hope  when  he  landed  had  been  to  get  the 
printing  of  the  Sechwana  New  Testament  speedily 
accomplished,  and  to  return  to  South  Africa  before 
winter  ;  but  it  was  not  until  January,  1843,  that  he  was 
able  once  aGfain  to  sail  for  Africa. 


[04  ;  ROBERT   MOFFAT. 

In  1840  two  new  missionaries  were  set  apart  for  the 
Bechwana  mission — William  Ross  and  David  Living- 
stone. With  them  Robert  Moffat  was  able  to  send 
five  hundred  copies  of  the  Sechwana  New  Testament. 

As  the  sheets  were  passing  through  the  press,  it  was 
suggested  to  him  that  the  Psalms  would  be  a  valuable 
addition  to  the  work.  With  his  characteristic  energy 
he  immediately  commenced  the  task,  and,  a  few 
months  after  the  sailing  of  Ross  and  Livingstone,  he 
had  the  joy  of  sending  to  Africa  over  two  thousand 
copies  of  the  New  Testament,  with  which  the  Psalms 
had  been  bound  up.  By  the  end  of  1843  six  thousand 
copies  had  been  sent  out.  A  revision  of  the  book  of 
Scripture  Lessons  was  also  undertaken  and  carried 
through  the  press.  A  demand  was  made  upon  him  to 
write  a  book,  in  response  to  which  he  prepared  his 
well  known  work,  "  Missionary  Labours  and  Scenes 
in  South  Africa,"  which  was  published  in  1842,  and 
met  with  great  success. 

At  length  the  time  drew  near  when  once  more 
Robert  and  Mary  Moffat  should  cross  the  sea  to  their 
beloved  home  at  Kuruman.  Valedictory  services  of  a 
most  enthusiastic  character  were  held  in  Scotland, 
Newcastle,  Manchester,  and  London.  At  Edinburgh 
a  copy  of  the  "Encyclopaedia  Britannica"  was  presented 
to  Robert  Moffat,  and  at  Newcastle  a  set  of  scientific 
instruments  was  given  him.  A  great  impetus  was 
imparted  to  missionary  work  abroad  through  these  and 
preceding  meetings,  during  his  sojourn  in  England, 
and  when  on  the  30th  of  January,  1843,  he  and 
his  wife  embarked  at  Gravesend,  accompanied  by 
two  new  missionaries  for  the  Bechwana  field,  they 
carried  with  them  the  esteem  of  a  wide  circle  of 
friends,  and  had  the  fervent  prayers  of  many  offered 
up  on  their  behalf. 


VISIT   TO    ENGLAND. 


105 


On  the  loth  of  April  they  landed  at  Cape  Town, 
and  six  weeks  later  embarked  in  a  small  coasting 
vessel  for  Algoa  Bay.  At  Bethelsdorp,  a  village  a  few 
miles  beyond  Port  Elizabeth,  they  rejoined  Messrs. 
Ashton  and  Inglis,  who  with  their  wives  had  gone  on 
before  by  steamer  ;  but  here  they  were  detained  for 
several   months,  waiting  for  a  vessel  to  arrive  from 


CAPE   TOWN. 


England  which    had  on   board    a   large  quantity  of 
baggage  for  the  missionaries  and  their  work. 

At  last  the  start  was  made,  the  long  train  of  ox 
waggons  wended  their  way,  the  Orange  River  was 
crossed,  this  time  on  a  pont  or  floating  bridge,  and  at 
the  Vaal  River,  one  hundred  and  fifty  miles  distant 
from  Kuruman,  the  missionary  party  were  met  by 


I06  ROBERT   MOFFAT. 

David  Livingstone,  who  had  ridden  forth  to  bid  them 
welcome. 

From  this  point  onwards  friends  both  white  and 
black  emulated  each  other  in  testifying  their  gladness 
at  their  friend's  return,  until  as  the  Moffats  drew  near 
to  Kuruman  their  progress  became  like  a  royal  one. 
At  last  between  two  and  three  o'clock  on  the  loth  of 
December,  1843,  they  sat  down  once  again  in  their 
own  home,  amongst  those  for  whom  they  had  toiled 
so  zealously,  and  over  whom  their  hearts  yearned 
with  a  holy  love.  The  delight  of  the  natives  at 
having  their  missionary  and  his  wife  among  them 
again  was  unbounded.  In  a  letter  published  in 
the  Missionary  Magazine,  October,  1844,  Moffat 
thus  writes,  giving  an  account  of  their  reception  : — 
"  Many  were  the  hearty  welcomes  we  received,  all 
appearing  emulous  to  testify  their  joy.  Old  and 
young,  even  the  little  children,  would  shake  hands 
with  us.  Some  gave  vent  to  their  joy  with  an  air  of 
heathen  wildness,  and  some  in  silent  floods  of  tears  ; 
while  others,  whose  hearts  had  sickened  with  deferred 
hope,  would  ask  again  and  again,  *  Do  our  eyes  indeed 
behold  you  ? '  Thus  we  found  ourselves  once  more 
among  a  people  who  loved  us,  and  who  had  longed  for 
our  return." 

The  mission  having  been  largely  reinforced,  it  was 
arranged  that  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Ross  should  go  to  Taung, 
about  one  hundred  miles  east  of  Kuruman,  where  a 
portion  of  the  Bechwana  tribe  had  settled  under 
Mahura,  a  brother  of  Mothibi ;  while  Edwards  and 
Livingstone  were  to  commence  work  among  the 
Bakhatla,  two  hundred  miles  to  the  north-east. 
Inglis  was  to  go  to  the  same  neighbourhood  ;  thus  the 
regular  missionary  staff  of  the  Kuruman  station  com- 
prised    after    their     departure,    the    venerable    Mr, 


VISIT   TO   ENGLAND. 


107 


Hamilton,  who  had  seen  the  commencement  of  the 
Bechwana  Mission  in  1816,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Ashton,  and 
the  Moffats. 

The  place  to  which  Edwards  and  Livingstone  had 
gone  was  a  large  native  town  near  to  the  haunts  of 
lions.  These  greatly  harassed  the  cattle  and  deprived 
the  missionaries  of  sleep.  One  day  a  hunt  was 
arranged.  Livingstone  joined  the  party,  was  attacked 
by  the  lion,  and  was  only  rescued  with  a  broken  and 
mangled  arm  by  the  bravery  and  devotion  of  his 
native  servant,  Mebalwe,  who  himself  got  severely 
bitten. 

During  his  recovery 
from  this  injury  Living- 
stone visited  the  Kuru- 
man,  and  there  won  the 
heart  of  Moffat's  eldest 
daughter,  her  mother's 
namesake,  who  soon 
afterwards  exchanged 
the  name  of  Mary  Moffat 
for  that  of  Mary  Living- 
stone. In  due  course  she 
accompanied  her  hus- 
band to  Chonwane  where  for  a  time  he  was  located 
with  Sechele,  the  chief  of  the  Bakwena. 

The  life  of  the  missionaries  at  the  Kuruman  was  a 
busy  one.  All  were  fully  employed.  Moffat's  principal 
work  was  translation,  and  in  this  his  colleague  Ashton 
afforded  him  much  critical  assistance,  besides  relieving 
him  almost  entirely  of  the  duties  of  the  printing  office. 
But  other  work  had  to  be  undertaken.  The  natives 
needed  much  help  and  guidance  ;  dwelling-houses  had 
to  be  enlarged  and  new  schoolrooms  built,  and,  as 
there  were  no  funds  for  the  payment  of  artisans,  the 


LIVINGSTONE  ATTACKED  I3Y  A  LION. 


I08  ROBERT   MOFFAT. 

missionaries  had  to  put  their  own  hands  to  the  work  ; 
besides  which,  as  money  was  not  forthcoming  to  meet 
the  cost  of  the  new  schoolrooms,  a  kind  of  amateur 
store  was  opened  by  the  missionaries'  wives  for  the 
sale  of  clothing  to  the  natives. 

The  Rev.  J.  J.  Freeman  who  visited  Africa  a  few 
years  later,  in  1849,  gives  us  a  picture  of  the  Kuruman 
station  as  he  saw  it.  "  It  wears,"  says  he,  "  a  very 
pleasing  appearance.  The  mission  premises,  with  the 
walled  gardens  opposite,  form  a  street  wide  and  long. 
The  chapel  is  a  substantial  and  well-looking  building 
of  stone.  By  the  side  of  it  stands  Mr.  Moffat's  house, 
simple  yet  commodious.  In  a  cottage  hard  by,  the 
venerable  Hamilton  was  passing  his  declining  days, 
extremely  feeble,  but  solaced  by  the  motherly  care  of 
his  colleague's  wife.  The  gardens  were  well  stocked 
with  fruit  and  vegetables,  requiring  much  water,  but 
easily  getting  it  from  the  *  fountain.'  On  the  Sunday 
morning  the  chapel  bell  rang  for  early  service. 
Breakfasting  at  seven,  all  were  ready  for  the  schools 
at  half-past  eight.  The  infants  were  taught  by  Miss 
Moffat  (their  daughter  Ann,  afterwards  Mrs.  Fredoux) 
in  their  school-house  ;  more  advanced  classes  were 
grouped  in  the  open  air,  or  collected  in  the  adjacent 
buildings.  Before  ten  the  work  of  separate  teaching 
ceased,  and  young  and  old  assembled  for  public 
worship.  A  sanctuary,  spacious  and  lofty,  and  airy 
withal,  was  comfortably  filled  with  men,  women,  and 
children,  for  the  most  part  decently  dressed." 

This  description  may  be  supplemented  by  that  of  a 
scene  of  frequent  occurrence,  given  in  "  Robert  and 
Mary  Moffat "  by  their  son  Mr.  John  A.  Moffat.  He 
says :  "  The  public  services  were,  of  course,  in  the 
Sechwana  language.  Once  a  week  the  missionary 
families  met  for  an  English  devotional  meeting.     It 


10^ 


no  ROBERT   MOFFAT. 

was  also  a  sort  of  custom  that  as  the  sun  went  down 
there  should  be  a  short  truce  from  work  every 
evening.  A  certain  eminence  at  the  back  of  the 
station  became,  by  common  consent,  the  meeting- 
place.  There  the  missionary  fathers  of  the  hamlet 
would  be  found,  each  sitting  on  his  accustomed  stone. 
Before  them  lay  the  broad  valley,  once  a  reedy 
morass,  now  reclaimed  and  partitioned  out  into  garden 
lands ;  its  margin  fringed  with  long  water-courses, 
overhung  with  grey  willows  and  the  dark  green 
syringa.  On  the  low  ground  bordering  the  valley 
stood  the  church,  with  its  attendant  mission-houses 
and  schools,  and  on  the  heights  were  perched  the 
native  villages,  for  the  most  part  composed  of  round, 
conical  huts,  not  unlike  corn-stacks  at  a  distance,  with 
some  more  ambitious  attempts  at  house-building  in 
the  shape  of  semi- European  cottages.  Eastward 
stretched  a  grassy  plain,  bounded  by  the  horizon,  and 
westward  a  similar  plain,  across  which  about  five  miles 
distant,  was  a  range  of  low  hills.  Down  to  the  right, 
in  a  bushy  dell,  was  the  little  burying-ground,  marked 
by  a  few  trees." 

In  1845,  Robert  Moffat  narrowly  escaped  an 
accident  that  would  have  involved  most  serious 
consequences.  He  was  superintending  the  erection 
of  a  new  corn-mill,  and  whilst  seeing  to  its  being 
properly  started,  incautiously  stretched  his  arm  over 
two  cog-wheels.  In  an  instant  the  shirt  sleeve  was 
caught  and  drawn  in,  and  with  it  the  arm.  Fortu- 
nately the  mill  was  stopped  in  time,  but  an  ugly 
wound,  six  inches  in  length,  with  torn  edges,  bore 
witness  to  the  danger  escaped.  This  wound  laid  him 
aside  for  many  weeks,  but  finally  he  recovered  from 
the  effects  of  the  accident. 

For  the  next  four  or  five  years  things  pursued  an 


VISIT   TO   ENGLAND.  Ill 

even  course  at  the  Kuruman.  In  1846,  Mary  Moffat 
started  on  a  journey  to  visit  the  Livingstones  at 
Chonwane.  She  availed  herself  of  the  escort  of  a 
native  hunting  party,  and  took  her  three  younger 
children  with  her.  She  passed  through  the  usual 
dangers  of  such  a  journey,  as  the  following  extract 
from  a  letter  written  to  her  husband  will  show  : — 

"  I  am  very  glad  of  Boey's  company.  ...  I  should 
indeed  have  felt  very  solitary  with  my  lone  waggon 
with  ignorant  people,  but  he  is  so  completely  at  home 
in  this  field  that  one  feels  quite  easy.  We  do  not 
stop  at  nights  by  the  waters,  but  come  to  them  at 
mid-day,  and  then  leave  about  three  or  four  o'clock. 
We  cannot  but  be  constantly  on  the  outlook  for  lions, 
as  we  come  on  their  spoor  every  day,  and  the  people 
sometimes  hear  them  roar.  Just  before  outspanning 
to-day,  Boey,  being  on  horseback  looking  for  water, 
met  with  a  majestic  one,  which  stood  still  and  looked 
at  him.  He  tried  to  frighten  the  lion,  but  he  stood 
his  ground,  when  Boey  thought  it  was  time  to  send  a 
ball  into  him,  which  broke  his  leg,  by  which  means  he 
is  disabled  from  paying  us  a  visit." 

Early  in  1847  a  general  meeting  of  those  engaged 
in  the  Bechwana  mission  was  held  at  Lekatlong  (near 
what  are  now  the  Diamond  Fields).  On  his  way 
homewards  from  this  meeting  Moffat  visited  some  of 
the  Batlaping  villages  along  the  Kolong  River. 
A  striking  advance  had  taken  place  of  late  years,  and 
a  severe  contest  was  going  on  between  heathenism 
and  Christianity.  A  little  company  of  believers  had 
gathered  in  each  place,  and  were  ministered  to  by 
native  teachers,  who  had  spent  a  few  months  in  train- 
ing at  Kuruman. 

In  the  same  year  Mary  Moffat  left  for  the  Cape 
to   make   arrangements   for   educating   her    younger 


112  ROBERT   MOFFAT. 

children.  As  Robert  could  not  leave  his  work  she 
journeyed  alone,  having  as  attendants  four  Bechwana 
men  and  a  maid.  These  partings  wrung  the  mother's 
heart.  The  time  spent  on  the  road  was  precious,  and 
although  it  extended  to  two  months,  seemed  all  too 
short.  She  felt  that  never  again  would  she  have  her 
young  children  about  her.  The  son,  John,  was  placed 
at  school  in  Cape  Town  for  a  time,  and  the  two 
daughters  were  sent  under  the  care  of  a  worthy 
minister  to  England.  Of  the  parting  with  these  her 
darlings  Mary  Moffat  wrote : — "  Though  my  heart 
was  heaving  with  anguish  I  joyfully  and  thankfully 
acceded  forthwith  {i.e.,  to  the  offer  of  the  Rev.  J. 
Crombie  Brown  to  take  the  children),  and  set  about 
preparations  in  good  earnest.  This  was  about  the 
end  of  January.  On  the  tenth  of  February  they 
embarked,  and  after  stopping  the  night  on  board 
I  tore  myself  from  my  darlings  to  return  to  my 
desolate  lodgings  to  contemplate  my  solitary  journey, 
and  to  go  to  my  husband  and  home  childless."  Of 
her  it  may  be  said,  She  left  all  and  follozved  Him  ! 

In  1848  the  book  of  Proverbs  and  Ecclesiastes  had 
been  finished  and  Isaiah  begun.  In  1849  "  Pilgrim's 
Progress  "  was  added  to  the  Sechwana  literature,  and 
the  work  of  translation  steadily  progressed.  "  Line- 
upon  Line"  had  also  been  rendered  into  the  native 
tongue  by  Mr.  Ashton. 

But  while  all  was  peaceful  and  in  a  measure  pros- 
perous at  the  Kuruman,  clouds  were  gathering  to  the 
eastward,  which  were  destined  eventually  to  throw  a 
dark  shadow  over  the  whole  Bechwana  Mission.  The 
encroachments  of  the  Boers  upon  the  natives  led  to 
much  bloodshed,  and  to  the  dispersion  of  several 
native  tribes,  with  the  consequent  abandonment  of 
mission-work  among  them.     One  of  the  early  sufferers 


VISIT   TO   ENGLAND.  II3 

was  Moselekatsc,  who,  having  been  attacked  in  1837, 
had  retired  to  a  place  far  away  to  the  north-east,  and 
for  some  years  nothing  was  heard  of  him,  except  by 
vague  rumour;  indeed  his  very  existence  was  a  matter 
of  doubt. 

Livingstone  had  settled  with  Sechele  at  Kolobeng, 
which  place  he  used  simply  as  a  base  of  operations 
for  visiting  the  eastern  tribes,  and  prosecuting  mission- 
ary work  among  them.  Much  good  was  done,  and 
the  Scriptures  in  Sechwana,  as  far  as  issued,  were 
circulated  among  the  people.  But  the  Boers  advanced, 
the  natives  were  dispossessed  of  their  lands,  and 
missionaries  were  expelled  from  their  regions.  Find- 
ing that  all  hope  of  carrying  on  the  work  in  this 
neighbourhood  was  over,  Livingstone  turned  his  eyes 
northward,  and  commenced  that  series  of  explorations 
which  absorbed  the  remainder  of  his  life.  Sechele 
retired  to  a  mountain  fastness,  named  Lithubaruba, 
away  to  the  north-west. 

As  time  passed  onward,  Robert  Moffat  felt  more 
than  ever  the  importance  of  completing  the  work  he 
had  undertaken — the  translation  of  the  entire  Bible 
into  Sechwana.  Every  minute  that  could  be  devoted 
to  the  task  was  eagerly  embraced,  his  labours  often 
extending  far  into  the  night.  Numerous  interruptions 
made  the  work  more  difficult.  "  Many,  many  are  the 
times  I  have  sat  down  and  got  my  thoughts  somewhat 
in  order,"  he  writes,  "with  pen  in  hand  to  write  a 
verse,  the  correct  rendering  of  which  I  had  just  arrived 
at,  after  wading  through  other  translations  and 
lexicons,  when  one  enters  my  study  with  some 
complaint  he  has  to  make,  or  counsel  to  ask,  or 
medical  advice  and  medicine  to  boot,  a  tooth  to  be 
extracted,  a  subscription  to  the  auxiliary  to  be 
measured  or  counted  ;  or  one  calls  to  say  he  is  going 

11 


114  ROBERT   MOFFAT. 

to  the  Colony,  and  wishes  something  Hke  a  passport ; 
anon  strangers  from  other  towns,  and  visitors  from 
the  interior  arrive,  who  all  seem  to  claim  a  right  to 
my  attentions." 

This  incessant  application  was  making  inroads 
upon  his  health,  and  the  strong  powerful  frame  and 
iron  constitution  of  the  Scotch  missionary  began  to 
show  signs  that  could  not  be  neglected.  A  peculiar 
affection  of  the  head  troubled  him — a  constant  roaring 
noise  like  the  falling  of  a  cataract,  and  a  buzzing  as 
of  a  boiling  up  of  waters.  It  never  ceased  day  and 
night,  and  he  lost  much  sleep  in  consequence  of  it. 
His  only  relief  seemed  to  be  in  study  and  preaching, 
when  the  malady  was  not  noticed  ;  but  immediately 
these  occupations  were  over  it  was  found  to  be  there, 
and  reasserted  itself  in  full  force. 

In  185 1  the  rebellion  of  the  Kat  River  Hottentots 
occured,  which,  for  a  long  time,  brought  obloquy  upon 
the  missionaries  of  South  Africa  and  the  Mission 
cause. 

In  1852  Mr.  Hamilton  was  gathered  to  his  rest,  after 
having  been  the  faithful  coadjutor  of  Robert  Moffat, 
and  a  missionary  at  the  Kuruman  for  thirty-four 
years  ;  the  next  year  tidings  reached  Mary  Moffat 
that  her  beloved  father  had  ended  his  pilgrimage  at 
the  ripe  age  of  ninety  years. 

A  short  time  previous  a  letter  had  been  received 
from  the  Directors  of  the  London  Missionary  Society, 
urging  Robert  Moffat  to  take  sick  leave  and  visit  the 
Cape,  or  to  return  to  England,  but,  as  rest  and  change 
were  absolutely  essential,  Moffat  determined  to  find 
the  needed  relaxation  in  visiting  his  old  native  friend, 
Moselekatse.  He  was  also  in  doubt  as  to  the  fate  of 
his  son-in-law,  Livingstone,  who  had  started  long 
before  for  the  tribes  on  the  Zambesi. 


VISIT   TO   ENGLAND.  II5 

Carrying  supplies  for  that  missionary,  in  hope  of 
being  able  to  succour  him,  in  May,  1854,  Moffat  once 
again  bade  his  faithful  partner  farewell,  and  started 
for  a  journey  to  a  comparatively  unknown  country, 
seven  or  eight  hundred  miles  away.  The  son  of 
Mr.  Edwards,  the  missionary  who  for  some  time  had 
laboured  with  Moffat  at  Kuruman,  and  a  young  man 
named  James  Chapman  accompanied  him,  for  pur- 
poses of  trade.  After  journeying  for  several  days 
through  a  desert  country,  they  reached  Sechele's 
mountain  fastness.  Moffat  found  that  chief  in  great 
difficulties,  but  still  holding  to  the  faith  into  which  he 
had  been  baptised  by  Livingstone.  One  hundred  and 
twenty  more  miles  of  desert  travelling  brought  the 
party  to  Shoshong,  the  residence  of  another  chief  and 
his  tribe.  Thence  after  groping  their  way  for  eighteen 
days  in  a  region  new  to  them,  without  guides,  they 
reached  a  village  containing  some  natives  who  were 
subject  to  the  Matabele  king. 

For  some  days  Moffat  and  his  companions  were 
not  allowed  to  advance.  The  Induna  in  charge  ot 
the  outpost  was  afraid  of  a  mistake,  but  at  last  a 
message  came  that  they  were  to  proceed,  and  finally 
they  drew  near  to  the  royal  abode.  The  chief  was 
filled  with  joy  at  meeting  his  old  friend  "  Moshete." 
An  account  of  the  interview  is  described  in  Moffat's 
journal,  from  which  we  extract  the  following  : — "  On 
turning  round,  there  he  sat — how  changed !  The 
vigorous,  active,  and  nimble  chief  of  the  Matabele, 
now  aged,  sitting  on  a  skin,  lame  in  his  feet,  unable  to 
walk,  or  even  to  stand.  I  entered,  he  grasped  my 
hand,  gave  one  earnest  look,  and  drew  his  mantle 
over  his  face.  It  would  have  been  an  awful  sight  for 
his  people  to  see  the  hero  of  a  hundred  fights  wipe 
from  his  eyes  the  falling  tears.     He  spoke  not,  except 


Il6  ROBERT   MOFFAT. 

to  pronounce  my  name,  Moshete,  again  and  again. 
He  looked  at  me  again,  his  hand  still  holding  mine, 
and  he  again  covered  his  face.  My  heart  yearned 
with  compassion  for  his  soul.  Drawing  a  little  nearer 
to  the  outside,  so  as  to  be  within  sight  of  Mokumbate, 
his  venerable  counsellor,  he  poured  out  his  joy  to 
him." 

The  old  chief  was  suffering  with  dropsy,  but  under 
Moffat's  medical  care  he  recovered,  and  was  soon  able 
to  walk  about  again.  The  advice  which  had  been 
given  to  him  by  his  missionary  friend  during  their 
previous  intercourse,  had  not  been  wholly  lost,  the 
officers  who  attended  him,  as  well  as  those  of  lower 
grades,  stating  that  the  rigour  of  his  government  had 
since  that  time  been  greatly  modified. 

Moffat  stayed  with  Moselekatse  nearly  three 
months.  After  much  persuasion,  permission  was 
given  him  to  preach  the  Gospel  to  the  Matabele 
people,  a  privilege  hitherto  always  denied.  On  the 
24th  of  September,  1854,  these  people  received,  for 
the  first  time,  instruction  in  the  subjects  of  creation, 
providence,  death,  redemption,  and  immortality. 

It  was  Moffat's  purpose  to  journey  forward  beyond 
the  Matabele  to  the  Makololo  tribe,  to  leave  supplies 
at  their  town  of  Linyanti,  so  that  Livingstone  might 
obtain  them  if  he  returned  safely  from  St.  Paul  de 
Loanda,  on  the  west  coast.  Moselekatse  would  not 
accede  to  the  idea  of  him  going  alone,  and  finally  the 
king  himself  determined  to  accompany  him.  The 
Makololo  and  Matabele  were,  however,  like  many 
other  of  the  native  tribes,  hostile  to  each  other.  With 
the  bags,  boxes,  &c.,  on  the  heads  of  some  of  the  men 
best  acquainted  with  the  country,  the  party  set  out, 
but  after  travelling  to  the  farthest  outpost  of  the 
Marabele,  the  king  declared  it  was  impossible  for  the 


VISIT   TO   ENGLAND.  11/ 

waggons  to  proceed.  At  Moffat's  earnest  request,  he 
sent  forward  a  party  of  his  men  with  the  supplies, 
which  in  due  course  reached  the  Makololo,  who  placed 
them  on  an  island,  built  a  roof  over  them,  and  there 
they  were  found  in  safety  by  Livingstone  when  he 
returned  some  months  afterwards  from  the  west 
coast. 

Towards  the  end  of  October,  Moffat  bade  farewell 
to  the  Matabele  king.  Moselekatse  pressed  him  to 
prolong  his  stay,  pleading  that  he  had  not  seen  enough 
of  him,  and  that  he  had  not  yet  shown  him  sufficient 
kindness.  "  Kindness  !  "  replied  Moffat,  "  you  have 
overwhelmed  me  with  kindness,  and  I  shall  now  return 
with  a  heart  overflowing  with  thanks."  Leaving  the 
monarch  a  supply  of  suitable  medicines  to  keep  his 
system  in  tolerable  order,  and  admonishing  him  to 
give  up  beer  drinking,  and  to  receive  any  Christian 
teacher  who  might  come  as  he  had  received  him,  the 
missionary  took  his  departure.  The  long  return 
journey  was  accomplished  without  any  remarkable 
event,  and  in  due  course  Moffat  reached  his  home 
again  in  safety. 

By  this  journey  his  health  was  much  improved,  his 
intercourse  and  friendship  with  the  people  of  the 
interior  were  cemented  and  extended,  and  he  looked 
forward  with  hopeful  assurance  to  the  early  advance- 
ment of  Christianity  to  those  distant  regions. 


CHAPTER  IX. 

THE  SECHWANA  BIBLE. 

THE  great  task  was  at  length  accomplished  ;  the 
work  of  nearly  thirty  years  brought  to  a  close. 
The  Word  of  God  in  the  language  of  the 
Bechwana  people,  in  all  its  glorious  complete- 
ness and  power,  was  now  in  their  hands. 

To  Robert  Moffat  the  Jabour  had  been  of  a  her- 
culean character.  He  had  spared  himself  no  labour 
or  drudgery  which  its  prosecution  involved.  To 
accomplish  it  he  had  left  his  home  and  lived  a  semi- 
savage  life  for  nearly  three  months,  that  he  might 
perfect  himself  in  the  language.  Without  any  special 
training  for  the  important  undertaking,  and  under  the 
greatest  disadvantages,  he  had  not  only  acquired  the 
language,  but  reduced  it  to  its  elements,  and  then 
presented  it  in  a  synthetic  and  grammatical  form. 
Beyond  that  his  earnest  desire  had  been  to  render  the 
whole  Bible  into  the  native  tongue. 

As  age  increased,  the  importance  of  finishing  the 
work  became  more  and  more  apparent,  till  even  a 
minute  spent  in  anything  but  purely  mission-work,  or 
his  translation  duties,  seemed  as  wasted  time.  Writing 
when  the  end  was  near,  he  said  :  "When  I  take  up  a, 


THE   SECHWANA   BIBLE.  II9 

newspaper,  it  is  only  to  glance  at  it  with  a  feeling  like 
that  of  committing  sacrilege.  I  have  sometimes  been 
arrested  with  something  interesting,  and  have  read 
it  with  ten  or  more  strokes  in  the  minute  added  to  my 
pulse,  from  the  anxiety  caused  by  the  conviction  that 
I  am  spending  precious  time  apart  from  its  paramount 
object,  while  I  feel  perfectly  composed  over  anything 
which  I  am  satisfied  has  a  direct  bearing  on  the  true 
object  of  the  missionary." 

But  the  work  was  now  accomplished,  the  last  sheet 
had  been  passed  for  press,  the  last  verse  of  the  Old 
Testament  completed,  and  now  his  mind,  which  had 
been  for  so  many  years  strained  under  the  weighty 
responsibility  of  translating  the  Word  of  God,  was 
free.  Of  his  feelings  on  this  occasion  he  made 
mention  in  a  speech  delivered  some  years  later  at 
Port  Elizabeth,  on  the  occasion  of  his  final  departure 
from  South  Africa.  We  quote  from  the  Chronicle  of 
the  London  Missionary  Society  for  August,  1870. 

"  At  last,"  he  said,  referring  to  the  commencement  of 
the  undertaking,  "  I  came  to  the  resolution  that  if 
no  one  else  would  do  it,  I  would  undertake  it  myself 
I  entered  heartily  upon  the  work.  For  many  years  I 
had  no  leisure,  every  spare  moment  being  devoted  to 
translating,  and  was  a  stranger  even  in  my  own  family. 
There  was  labour  every  day,  for  back,  for  hands,  for 
head.  This  was  especially  the  case  during  the  time 
Mr.  Edwards  was  there  ;  our  condition  was  almost  one 
of  slavery.  Still  the  work  advanced,  and  at  last  I  had 
the  satisfaction  of  completing  the  New  Testament, 
Of  this  6000  copies  were  printed  by  the  Plome 
Society, 

"  When  Dr.  Livingstone  came,  he  urged  me  to  begin 
at  once  with  the  Old  Testament,  That  was  a  most 
stupendous  work.      Before  commencing  it   I   passed 


I20  ROBERT   MOFFAT. 

many  sleepless  nights.  It  was  the  wish  of  all  that  I 
should  undertake  it.  I  did  so,  and  went  on  with  the 
work  from  time  to  time,  as  I  had  leisure,  daily  and 
nightly.  I  stuck  to  it  till  I  had  got  as  far  as  the  end 
of  Kings,  when  I  became  completely  done  up.  The 
Directors  were  afraid  that  I  was  killing  myself.  I  was 
advised  to  go  home,  to  leave  the  work,  but  I  decided 
otherwise.  I  determined  to  look  up  Moselekatse,  and 
went  off  with  a  son  of  brother  Edwards.  By  the 
time  I  had  found  Moselekatse,  I  had  got  all  right 
again.  I  came  back  and  resumed  my  work,  and  con- 
tinued it  till  its  completion.  I  cannot  describe  to  you 
the  feelings  of  that  time — of  the  writing  of  the  last 
verse.  I  could  hardly  believe  that  I  was  in  the  world, 
so  difficult  was  it  for  me  to  realise  the  fact  that  my 
labour  of  years  was  completed.  Whether  it  was  from 
weakness  or  overstrained  mental  exertion,  I  cannot  tell; 
but  a  feeling  came  over  me  that  I  would  die,  and  I  felt 
perfectly  resigned.  To  overcome  this  I  went  back  again 
to  my  manuscript  still  to  be  printed,  read  it  over,  and 
re-examined  it,  till  at  length  I  got  back  again  to  my 
right  mind.  This  was  the  most  remarkable  time  of 
my  life,  a  period  I  shall  never  forget.  My  feelings 
found  vent  by  my  falling  upon  my  knees  and  thanking 
God  for  His  grace  and  goodness  in  giving  me  strength 
to  accomplish  my  task.  My  work  was  thus  accom- 
plished, and  now  I  see  the  Word  of  God  read  by 
thousands  of  Bechwanas  in  their  native  tongue." 

An  incident  related  in  his  speech  at  the  Bible 
Society's  Annual  Meeting  upon  the  occasion  of  his 
first  visit  to  England  in  1839,  shows  the  importance  to 
the  natives  of  having  the  Bible  in  their  own  tongue. 
Speaking  of  his  translation  of  the  Gospel  of  Luke,  he 
alluded  to  the  state  of  the  unconverted  heathen,  and 
the  contrast    manifested    by  the  Christian    converts. 


THE   SECHWANA   BIBLE. 


121 


When  the  heathen  saw  the  converts  reading  the  Book 
which  had  produced  this  change,  they  inquired  if  they 
(the  converts)  talked  to  it.  "  No,"  answered  they,  "  it 
talks  to  us ;  for  it  is  the  Word  of  God."  "  What 
then,"  replied  the  strangers,  "  does  it  speak  ?  "  "  Yes," 
said  the  Christians,  "  it  speaks  to  the  heart ! "  This 
explanation  was  true,  and  was  often  illustrated  in 
fact ;  for  among  those  to  whom  the  same  Book  was 
read  by  others,  it  became  proverbial  to  say  that  the 
readers  were  "  turniner  their  hearts  inside  out !  " 


DR.    LIVINGSTONE. 


In  1854  Mary  Moffat  paid  another  visit  to  the 
Colony,  and  was  in  consequence  away  from  home 
when  Robert  returned  from  his  journey  to  Moselekatse. 
Tidings  reached  him  about  that  time  of  the  death  of 
his  mother,  the  one  who  first  instilled  into  his  breast 
an  enthusiasm  for  the  missionary  calling.  She  died 
as  she  had  lived,  a  godly,  consistent  woman,  and  was 
called  to  the  heavenly  city  at  the  age  of  eighty-four. 

In  1856  Dr.  Livingstone,  after  his  unparalleled  walk 
from  Loanda,  on  the  west  coast,  to  Quillimane,  on  the 


122  ROBERT   MOFFAT. 

east — from  the  shores  of  the  Atlantic  to  those  of  the 
Indian  Ocean — visited  England.  His  visit,  and  the 
description  he  gave  of  the  country  and  natives,  re- 
kindled missionary  enthusiasm,  a  special  interest  being 
taken  in  the  Matabele  and  Makololo  tribes.  The 
London  Missionary  Society  resolved  to  establish 
missions  among  them.  As  the  locality  where  the 
Makololo  dwelt  was  in  the  midst  of  a  marshy  network 
of  rivers,  it  was  considered  as  a  necessary  condition 
of  commencing  the  proposed  missionary  work  that 
they  should  remove  to  a  spot  on  the  north  bank  of 
the  Zambesi,  opposite  to  where  the  Matabele  dwelt 
on  the  south  bank.  The  two  tribes  were,  however, 
hostile  to  each  other  ;  and,  to  overcome  this  hostility, 
it  was  determined  to  simultaneously  establish  missions 
among  both  tribes.  With  this  object  in  mind  the 
Directors  wrote  to  Robert  Moffat,  proposing  that  he 
should  go  for  a  twelvemonth  to  the  Matabele,  taking 
two  younger  men  with  him,  and  plant  a  mission 
among  this  people. 

This  letter  reached  him  just  as  he  had  completed 
the  translation  and  printing  of  the  Old  Testament ; 
and,  notwithstanding  that  he  was  then  sixty-two  years 
of  age,  and  had  already  been  forty-one  years  hard  at 
work  for  the  Society,  he  determined  to  go.  He  felt, 
however,  that  it  was  necessary  for  him  to  start  at 
once,  and  prepare  the  minds  of  Moselekatse  and  his 
people  for  the  coming  among  them  of  missionaries. 
Thus  it  came  about  that  once  again  Robert  Moffat 
quitted  Kuruman,  and  started  forward  for  the  long 
and  trying  journey,  through  the  African  desert,  to 
visit  his  old  friend,  and  obtain  his  consent  to  the 
settlement  of  missionaries  among  his  people. 

Visiting  the  chief  Sechele  on  the  way,  he  pursued 
his  course  until  he  at  length  reached  the  headquarters 


THE   SECHWANA   BIBLE.  1 23 

of  Moselekatse.  The  king  was  not  very  enthusiastic 
about  receiving  missionaries  for  himself  and  his 
people.  He  was  somewhat  suspicious ;  and  his 
former  experience  with  the  American  missionaries 
at  Mosega  had  been  rather  unfortunate,  the  Boers 
having  attacked  the  Matabele,  and,  after  pillaging  the 
mission  station,  carried  the  missionaries  away  with 
them.  However,  he  would  receive  the  new-comers, — 
but  his  friend  Moshete  must  come  also.  "  I  love  you," 
said  he,  "you  are  my  father.  These  new  men  I  do 
not  know  them.     All  men  are  not  alike." 

This  African  monarch  had  sufficient  knowledge  to 
know  that,  if  the  doctrines  of  the  Bible  prevailed 
among  his  tribe,  his  claims  to  divine  honour  would 
for  ever  cease.  His  warriors  used  to  pay  him  homage 
as  follows  :  "  O  Pezoolu,  the  king  of  kings,  king  of  the 
heavens,  who  would  not  fear  before  the  son  of 
Machobane  (his  father's  name),  mighty  in  battle?" 
and  with  other  similar  marks  of  adulation.  He  also 
had  a  shrewd  suspicion  that  the  opening  of  the  country 
for  white  men  to  come  and  settle,  would  mean, 
eventually,  the  downfall  of  the  power  of  himself  and 
his  people ;  but  in  his  friend  Ramary,  or  Moshete,  he 
had  implicit  confidence. 

As  an  instance  of  the  power  which  Moffat  had 
obtained  over  this  despotic  chief  of  a  fierce  African 
tribe,  it  may  be  related  that  he  prevailed  upon 
Moselekatse  to  grant  deliverance  to  the  heir  to  the 
chieftainship  of  the  Bamangwato,  a  large  tribe  living 
at  Shoshong,  to  the  north-east  of  Sechele's  people. 
It  was  after  a  long  conversation  that  the  thing  was 
settled.  Machcng,  the  heir,  who  had  been  detained 
captive  for  sixteen  years,  was  called,  and  Moselekatse 
addressing  him  said  :  "  Macheng,  man  of  Moffat,  go 
with  your  father.     We  have  arranged  respecting  you, 


124  ROBERT   MOFFAT. 

Moffat  will  take  you  back  to  Sechele,  That  is  my 
wish  as  well  as  his,  that  you  should  be  in  the  first 
instance  restored  to  the  chief  from  whom  you  were 
taken  in  war.  When  captured  you  were  a  child ;  I 
have  reared  you  to  be  a  man." 

The  effect  of  this  deliverance  on  the  neighbouring 
tribes  was  very  great.  It  occurred  while  Moffat  was 
with  Moselekatse,  arranging  for  the  settlement  of 
the  new  missionaries.  When  he  and  his  charge 
arrived  at  Sechele's  town,  on  his  way  home,  he  was 
met  by  Sechele  and  the  other  chiefs  of  his  tribe,  who 
marched  on  in  front,  and  led  them  to  a  kind  of  natural 
amphitheatre,  where  at  least  ten  thousand  of  the 
people,  in  all  their  equipments  of  war,  were  assembled. 
Sechele  commanded  silence,  and  introduced  the 
business  of  the  meeting.  Speaker  followed  speaker,  in 
enthusiastic  language  giving  expression  to  the  joy  they 
felt  at  seeing  the  chief  of  the  Bamangwato  return  from 
captivity.  In  the  course  of  his  speech  one  said  as 
follows : — 

"  Ye  tribes,  ye  children  of  the  ancients,  this  day  is  a 
day  of  marvel.  .  .  .  Now  I  begin  to  perceive  that 
those  who  preach  are  verily  true.  If  Moffat  were  not 
of  God,  he  would  not  have  espoused  the  cause  of 
Sechele,  in  receiving  his  words,  and  delivering 
Macheng  from  the  dwelling-place  of  the  beasts  of 
prey,  to  which  we  Bechwanas  dared  not  approach. 
There  are  those  who  contend  that  there  is  nothing 
in  religion.  Let  such  to-day  throw  away  their  unbelief 
If  Moffat  were  not  such  a  man,  he  would  not  have 
done  what  he  has  done,  in  bringing  him  who  was  lost 
— him  who  was  dead — from  the  strong  bondage  of  the 
mighty.  Moselekatse  is  a  lion  ;  he  conquered  nations, 
he  robbed  the  strong  ones,  he  bereaved  mothers,  he 
took  away  the  son  of  Kheri.     We  talk  of  love.     What 


THE  SECHWANA   BIBLE.  125 

is  love  ?  We  hear  of  the  love  of  God.  Is  it  not 
through  the  love  of  God  that  Macheng  is  among  us 
to-day?  A  stranger,  one  of  a  nation — who  of  you 
knows  its  distance  from  us  ? — he  makes  himself  one  of 
us,  enters  the  lion's  abode,  and  brings  out  to  us  our 
own  blood." 

On  reaching  home,  from  his  visit  to  the  Matabele, 
Moffat  found  that  the  Livingstones  were  starting  for 
the  Zambesi,  and  were  to  call  at  the  Cape  on  their 
way  ;  also  that  a  large  party  of  new  missionaries  had 
been  appointed  to  commence  the  new  interior 
missions.  The  Moffats  at  once  started  for  the  Cape, 
and  there  met  Dr.  and  Mrs.  Livingstone  and  their 
companions.  Once  more  the  mother  and  daughter 
embraced  each  other,  and  as  the  latter  had  suffered 
much  on  the  voyage,  it  was  arranged  that  she  should 
accompany  the  missionary  party,  and  travel  overland 
to  the  Zambesi. 

At  Cape  Town  Moffat  also  had  the  pleasure  of 
welcoming  his  own  son,  the  Rev.  John  Moffat,  who 
was  to  proceed  to  the  Matabele  as  a  missionary,  paid 
for  out  of  Dr.  Livingstone's  private  resources.  Sir 
George  Grey,  Her  Majesty's  High  Commissioner, 
warmly  encouraged  the  proposed  plans  for  extend- 
ing Christianity  and  commerce  to  the  interior  tribes, 
and  arranged  with  Robert  Moffat  for  establishing  a 
postal  communication  with  the  Zambesi  via  Kuru- 
man. 

All  arrangements  having  been  completed  the 
missionaries  left  Cape  Town  on  their  way  to  Kuruman, 
from  whence  they  were  to  proceed  to  their  respective 
stations,  with  the  Makololo  and  the  Matabele. 
Delays,  however,  intervened  ;  the  Boers  had  attacked 
some  of  the  Batlapings,  and  threatened  to  attack  the 
Kuruman  station  ;    the  difficulties  of  the  road  also 


126  ROBERT   MOFFAT. 

prevented  some  of  the  party  arriving  with  the  others. 
At  last,  however,  the  way  was  made  clear,  the 
opposition  of  the  Boers  to  the  advance  of  the  party 
was,  through  the  intervention  of  Sir  George  Grey, 
overcome,  and  on  the  7th  of  July,  1859,  the  first 
division  started  for  their  far  distant  destination.  This 
division  comprised  Mr.  Helmore,  a  veteran  who  for 
many  years  had  been  stationed  at  Lekatlong,  with  his 
wife  and  four  children,  and  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Price. 
There  was  also  a  native  teacher  from  Lekatlong, 
named  Tabe,  who  determined  to  accompany  his  old 
missionary,  and  the  usual  staff  of  native  attendants. 
These  were  all  to  proceed  to  the  Makololo  The 
situation  was  a  grave  one.  The  end  of  the  journey 
was  a  point  a  thousand  miles  farther  into  the  interior 
than  any  of  them  had  ever  been,  except  two  native 
servants,  who  had  accompanied  Livingstone  on  a 
previous  occasion.  But  they  went  forward  in  faith 
not  knowing  what  lay  before  them,  but  trusting  all 
into  the  hands  of  Him,  without  whose  knowledge  not 
even  a  sparrow  falls  to  the  ground. 

A  week  later  Mr.  Thomas  and  John  Moffat  with 
their  wives  left ;  they  were  speedily  followed  by 
Robert  Moffat  and  Mr.  Sykes.  At  Sechele's  town  the 
two  portions  of  this  latter  division  were  united,  and 
thence  they  journeyed  onwards  towards  the  Matabele. 
Disease  broke  out  among  some  of  their  oxen,  and,  on 
reaching  the  first  outpost  of  Moselekatse's  people,  a 
messenger  was  sent  forward  to  the  king  explaining 
the  state  of  affairs,  and  proposing  that  the  oxen  of 
the  missionaries  should  be  left  in  quarantine,  and  that 
Moselekatse  should  supply  his  own  oxen  to  bring  the 
party  to  headquarters.  This  message  was  sent  so  as 
to  avoid  connecting  the  advent  of  the  Gospel  among 
these  people  with  that  of  a  pestilence  among  their 


IHE   SECHWANA   BIBLE.  12/ 

herds  of  cattle  ;  which  would  inevitably  have  been  the 
case  had  the  diseased  oxen  proceeded  onwards  and 
infected  those  belonging  to  the  Matabele. 

An  answer  was  returned  to  the  effect  that  the 
party  were  to  proceed,  and  that  though  the  epidemic 
took  effect,  they  should  be  held  guiltless. 

Moffat  despatched  a  second  messenger,  to  say  that 
he  had  heard  the  king's  words,  and  in  a  couple  of 
days  would  leave  ;  but  that  he  begged  the  monarch 
to  reflect  on  the  consequences  of  the  epidemic  being 
introduced  among  his  tens  of  thousands  of  cattle,  and 
to  believe  that  the  mission  party  felt  the  most  extreme 
anxiety  upon  the  subject. 

They  then  proceeded  forward  very  slowly  for  two 
or  three  days,  when  they  were  met  by  another 
messenger,  who  stated  that  Moselekatse  was  gratified 
with  the  anxiety  expressed  for  him  and  his  ;  and  that 
now,  fully  convinced  of  his  danger,  he  desired  that  all 
their  oxen  should  return,  and  that  warriors  were 
advancing  to  drag  the  mission  waggons  to  head- 
quarters. 

Every  one  started  with  surprise  at  the  strange  idea, 
but  soon  the  warriors  came,  shields,  and  spears,  and 
all,  also  a  number  of  oxen  to  be  slaughtered  for  food. 
After  some  war  evolutions,  the  warriors  took  the  place 
of  the  draught  oxen,  and  a  start  was  made.  There 
was  many  "a  strong  pull,  a  long  pull,  and  a  pull 
all  together,"  as  the  waggons  rolled  onward  ;  but  after 
ten  days'  hard  struggle  and  slow  progress,  it  became 
evident  that  the  men  sent  were  unequal  to  the  task, 
and  the  monarch,  who  for  some  unknown  reason  had 
kept  his  oxen  back,  sent  them  at  last  to  bring  the 
waggons  to  his  camp. 

Moselekatse  received  his  old  friend  with  his  usual 
cordiality;  but  it  soon  became  evident  that  something 


128  ROBERT   MOFFAT. 

was  wrong.  All  kinds  of  evasions  and  delays  met 
the  request  for  a  spot  of  ground  on  which  to  found  a 
mission  station ;  days,  weeks,  and  months  passed, 
during  which  the  missionaries  suffered  great  hard- 
ships ;  and  at  last  the  chief  broke  up  his  camp  and 
left  them,  without  oxen  to  draw  their  waggons,  saying 
that  he  would  send  people  to  guide  them  to  the  spot 
where  they  were  to  settle,  and  at  which  place  he  would 
join  them  later  on. 

His  conduct  seemed  strange,  and  Moffat  began  to 
suspect  that  he  had  repented  of  giving  his  permission 
for  the  missionaries  to  settle  with  him.  This  proved 
to  be  the  case ;  the  Boer  inroads,  following  as  they  had 
done,  in  several  cases,  the  advent  of  the  missionaries, 
made  him  suspicious,  and  the  fears  of  himself  and 
people  having  been  aroused,  the  question  was  in 
debate  as  to  whether  the  settlement  should  be  allowed 
or  not. 

At  last  a  favourable  change  took  place,  the  clouds 
dispersed,  and  the  sky  became  clear.  Oxen  were 
sent  to  take  the  missionary  waggons  forward  to 
Inyati,  there  to  join  Moselekatse.  All  was  settled,  a 
spot  which  looked  well  for  a  station  was  pointed  out, 
each  of  the  new-comers  pitched  his  tent  under  a  tree 
that  he  had  chosen,  until  a  more  solid  dwelling  should 
be  erected,  and  the  Matabele  Mission  was  fairly  estab- 
lished.    This  was  in  December,  1859. 

The  Mission  was  established,  but  work  had  only 
begun.  The  first  six  months  of  the  year  i860  were 
months  of  incessant  toil  to  the  missionaries  at  Inyati. 
Houses  had  to  be  built,  waggons  repaired,  and  garden 
ground  made  ready  for  cultivation.  Early  and  late, 
Moffat  was  to  be  found  at  work, — in  the  saw-pit,  at 
the  blacksmith's  forge,  or  exercising  his  skill  at  the 
carpenter's  bench ;  in  all  ways  aiding  and  encouraging 


THE   SECHWANA   BIBLE.  1 29 

his  younger  companions.  He  also  endeavoured  to 
gain  Moselekatse's  consent  to  the  opening  of  regular 
communication  with  the  Livingstone  expedition  on 
the  Zambesi  vid  Matabeleland,  but  the  suspicious 
nature  of  the  monarch  foiled  this  project.  The 
isolation  of  his  country  in  this  direction  was  so  great 
that,  although  but  a  comparatively  short  distance 
away,  no  tidings  whatever  could  be  obtained  of  the 
other  party  who,  under  Mr.  Helmore,  had  gone  to  the 
Makololo  tribe. 

In  June,  i860,  Moffat  felt  that  his  work  at  Inyati 
was  done.  He  had  spared  neither  labour  of  mind  nor 
body  in  planting  the  Mission,  and  had  endured  hard- 
ships at  his  advanced  age  that  younger  men  might 
well  have  shrunk  from.  The  hour  approached  for 
him  to  bid  a  final  farewell  to  Moselekatse,  and  once 
more  he  drew  near  to  the  chief's  kraal,  with  the 
purpose  of  speaking  to  him  and  his  people,  for  the 
last  time,  on  the  all-important  themes  of  life,  death, 
and  eternity.  The  old  chief  was  in  his  large  court- 
yard and  received  his  missionary  friend  kindly. 
Together  they  sat,  side  by  side — the  Matabele  despot, 
whose  name  struck  terror  even  then  into  many  native 
hearts,  and  the  messenger  of  the  Prince  of  Peace,  the 
warriors  ranged  themselves  in  a  semi-circle,  the 
women  crept  as  near  as  they  could,  and  all  listened  to 
the  last  words  of  "  Moshete."  It  was  a  solemn  service, 
and  closed  the  long  series  of  efforts  which  the 
missionary  had  made  to  reach  the  hearts  of  Mosele- 
katse and  his  people.  On  the  morrow  he  started  for 
home,  which  he  reached  in  safety,  having  been  absent 
twelve  months. 

Meanwhile,  terrible  trials  had  befallen  the  party 
who  had  started  to  found  the  Makololo  Mission.  The 
difficulties  attending  their  journey  to  Linyanti  were 

I 


130  ROBERT   MOP'FAT. 

such  as  nothing  but  the  noblest  Christian  principle 
would  have  induced  them  to  encounter,  or  enabled 
them  to  surmount.  The  chief  of  these  was  the  great 
scarcity  of  water.  One  of  their  trials  is  thus 
described  : — 

"  From  the  Zouga  we  travelled  on  pretty  comfort- 
ably, till  near  the  end  of  November,  when  we  suffered 
much  from  want  of  water.  .  .  .  For  more  than  a  week 
every  drop  we  used  had  to  be  walked  for  about 
thirty-five  miles.  Mrs.  Helmore's  feelings  may  be 
imagined,  when  one  afternoon,  the  thermometer 
standing  at  107  deg.  in  the  shade,  she  was  saving  just 
one  spoonful  of  water  for  each  of  the  dear  children  for 
the  next  morning,  not  thinking  of  taking  a  drop 
herself  Mr.  Helmore,  with  the  men,  was  then  away 
searching  for  water  ;  and  when  he  returned  the  next 
morning  with  the  precious  fluid,  we  found  that  he 
had  walked  {v\\  forty  miles'' 

At  length,  after  enduring  innumerable  difficulties 
and  privations  for  seven  months,  they  arrived  at 
Linyanti,  the  residence  of  the  chief  Sekeletu.  He 
refused  to  allow  them  to  remove  to  a  more  healthy 
spot,  but  proposed  that  they  should  live  with  him  in 
the  midst  of  his  fever-generating  marshes,  and  as  no 
better  plan  offered,  they  were  compelled  to  accept  it. 
In  the  course  of  a  week  all  were  laid  low  with  fever. 
Little  Henry  Helmore  and  his  sister,  with  the  infant 
babe  of  Mr.  Price,  were  the  first  to  die  ;  then  followed 
the  heart-stricken  mother,  Mrs.  Helmore  ;  six  weeks 
later  Mr.  Helmore  breathed  his  last ;  and  the  mission- 
ary band  was  reduced  to  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Price  and  the 
helpless  orphans.  As  the  only  means  of  saving  their 
lives  the  survivors  prepared  to  depart,  but  now  the 
chief  threw  obstacles  in  the  way  of  their  doing  so. 
Their  goods  were  stolen,  their  waggon  taken  possession 


THE   SECHWANA   BIBLE.  131 

of;  and  upon  Mr.  Price  telling  the  chief  that  "  if  they 
did  not  let  him  go  soon  they  would  have  to  bury  him 
beside  the  others,"  he  was  simply  told  "  that  he  might 
as  well  die  there  as  anywhere  else." 

Finally  a  few  things  were  allowed  for  the  journey, 
and  the  sorrowful  party  started  homeward,  Mr.  Price 
very  ill,  and  his  wife  having  lost  the  use  of  her  feet 
and  legs. 

With  the  scantiest  possible  provision  they  had  to 
face  a  journey  of  upwards  of  a  thousand  miles  to 
Kuruman,  but  they  set  forward.  Just  as  they  were 
beginning  to  take  hope  after  their  heavy  trials,  and  to 
think  of  renewed  efforts  for  the  Lord,  Mrs.  Price  was 
called  to  her  rest.  "  My  dear  wife,"  wrote  the  sorrow- 
ing husband,  "had  been  for  a  long  time  utterly  helpless, 
but  we  all  thought  she  was  getting  better.  In  the 
morning  I  found  her  breathing  very  hard.  She  went 
to  sleep  that  night,  alas !  to  wake  no  more.  I  spoke 
to  her,  and  tried  to  wake  her,  but  it  was  too  late.  I 
watched  her  all  the  morning.  She  became  worse  and 
worse,  and  a  little  after  midday  her  spirit  took  its 
flight  to  God  who  gave  it.  I  buried  her  the  same 
evening  under  a  tree — the  only  tree  on  the  immense 
plain  of  Mahabe.  This  is  indeed  a  heavy  stroke,  but 
'  God  is  my  refuge  and  strength,  a  very  present  help 
in  trouble.'" 

Finally  the  bereaved  missionary  was  met  by  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Mackenzie,  who  had  started  to  join  the 
Makololo  Mission,  and,  as  all  turned  their  steps 
towards  Kuruman,  they  were  rejoiced  by  meeting 
Robert  Moffat,  who,  having  heard  of  the  disaster,  and 
that  Mr.  Price,  with  the  remnant  of  the  party,  were 
on  the  road,  had  gone  out  in  search  of  them.  All 
returned  sorrowfully  to  Kuruman,  and  the  ill-fated 
Makololo  Mission  collapsed. 


132  ROBERT   MOFFAT. 

Robert  Moffat  and  his  wife  watched  the  progress 
of  the  Mission  at  Inyati  with  the  keenest  interest.  In 
it  they  seemed  to  hve  their  early  Hfe  at  Lattakoo  over 
again.  Their  hearts  were  in  the  work  of  the  mission- 
aries at  that  distant  station  ;  and,  over  and  above  the 
earnest  desire  they  had  to  see  the  work  of  God  prosper 
among  those  uncivilised  natives,  was  the  tie  of  kinship, 
their  own  flesh  and  blood  being  present  in  the  person 
of  their  son,  John  Moffat,  who,  with  his  wife,  formed  a 
portion  of  the  Matabele  Mission.  Post-bags  and 
supplies  were  forwarded  by  every  available  oppor- 
tunity, and  warm  words  of  cheer  and  sympathy  from 
the  aged  pair  at  Kuruman  encouraged  the  workers  in 
the  far  distant  region  to  perseverance  in  their  work 
for  the  Lord. 

Kuruman  served  indeed  as  a  home  station  to  which 
all  the  interior  missionaries  could  look.  The  fact  of 
being  an  interior  missionary  was  sufficient  to  secure 
the  travel-worn  stranger,  or  friend,  a  warm  welcome 
and  good  cheer  for  weeks  together,  and  none  entered 
more  heartily  or  with  deeper  sympathy  into  the 
plans  and  endeavours  of  the  wayfarer,  or  offered  more 
earnest  prayers  on  the  behalf  of  himself  and  his  work, 
than  the  tried  and  faithful  couple,  Robert  and  Mary 
Moffat,  who  had  for  so  many  years  borne  the  burden 
and  heat  of  the  day. 

In  October,  1861,  their  daughter  Bessie,  who  was 
born  on  board  ship  in  Table  Bay,  as  they  were  leaving 
for  their  first  visit  to  England,  married  Mr.  R.  Price, 
whose  wife  died  the  previous  year,  during  that  terrible 
journey  from  Linyanti,  when  the  Makololo  Mission 
had  to  be  abandoned.  Thus  as  one  fell  from  the  ranks, 
another  stepped  forward  to  take  the  vacant  place,  and 
carry  on  the  glorious  work  for  the  sake  of  Him  who 
said,  "  Go   ye   into   all    the   world,   and   preach   the 


THE   SECHWANA   BIBLE.  1 33 

Gospel  to  every  creature."  The  Prices  went  for  a 
time  to  Shoshong,  hoping  to  join  the  Matabelc 
Mission,  but  finally  laboured  among  the  Bakwena, 
under  the  chief  Sechele. 

The  Kuruman  station  itself  during  this  time 
presented  a  scene  of  unabated  activity.  A  revision  of 
the  New  Testament  was  in  progress,  the  youngest 
Miss  Moffat,  then  the  only  child  at  home,  was  working 
hard  at  schools  and  classes,  and  Mr.  Ashton  was 
again  at  work  with  his  old  colleague. 

The  year  1862  brought  severe  domestic  bereave- 
ments to  the  Moffats.  During  a  journey  to  Durban, 
in  Natal,  their  eldest  son,  Mr.  Robert  Moffat,  died, 
leaving  a  wife  and  four  children.  He  had  started  to 
bring  them  from  Durban  to  the  home  he  had  prepared 
at  Kuruman.  He  had  primarily  been  intended  for  a 
missionary,  and  had  been  sent  to  England  to  be 
educated  for  that  purpose,  but  his  health  failing  he 
had  to  return  to  South  Africa,  where  for  some  time 
he  served  in  the  Survey  Department  under  Govern- 
ment, and  afterwards  became  a  trader.  He  was  very 
highly  respected  and  had  thoroughly  gained  the 
confidence  of  the  natives. 

A  few  weeks  later  the  sad  tidings  reached  the 
sorrowing  parents  from  the  Zambesi  that  their  eldest 
daughter  Mary,  the  wife  of  Dr.  Livingstone,  had  been 
called  to  her  rest.  A  white  marble  cross,  near 
Shupanga  House  on  the  Shire  River,  marks  the  spot 
where  this  sainted  martyr  to  the  cause  of  Africa's 
regeneration  sleeps  in  peace. 

In  the  following  year  tidings  reached  Robert  Moffat 
that  William  Ross  the  missionary  at  Lekatlong,  about 
eighty  miles  to  the  south-east,  was  seriously  ill.  In  a 
few  hours  Moffat  was  on  his  way  ;  he  arrived  in  time 
to  find  his  friend  alive,  and  did  all  that  could  be  done 


134  ROBERT   MOFFAT. 

to  alleviate  his  suffering,  but  shortly  after  he  also 
passed  away.  This  mournful  event  led  to  Mr.  Ashton 
being  transferred  to  Lekatlong,  and  for  a  time  the 
whole  weight  of  duty  at  Kuruman  rested  on  Moffat's 
shoulders. 

Although  in  perils  oft,  Robert  Moffat  had  never 
suffered  thus  far  personal  violence  from  the  hands  of 
a  native,  but  now  he  had  a  very  narrow  escape  from 
death.  A  young  man,  who  for  some  time  had  been 
living  on  the  station,  had  shown  signs  of  a  disordered 
mind,  and  was  placed  under  mild  restraint.  Conceiv- 
ing a  violent  personal  animosity  against  the  missionary, 
he  attacked  him  as  he  was  returning  from  church,  and 
with  a  knobbed  stick  inflicted  some  terrible  blows, 
then,  frightened  at  his  own  violence,  he  fled.  To  one 
with  a  weaker  frame  than  Robert  Moffat's  the  conse- 
quences might  have  been  very  serious  ;  as  it  was  he 
recovered,  though  with  a  heart  that  was  sorely 
grieved. 

In  1865,  the  Mission  was  reinforced  by  the  arrival 
of  the  Rev.  John  Brown,  from  England,  and  by  John 
Moffat,  who  had  returned  from  the  Matabele.  The 
relaxation  from  the  active  duties  of  the  station  thus 
afforded  was  utilised  by  Robert  Moffat  in  the  work  of 
Scripture  revision,  the  preparation  of  additional 
hymns,  and  the  carrying  of  smaller  works  through 
the  press. 

Mention  has  been  made  of  the  marriage  of  their 
second  daughter,  Ann,  to  Jean  Fredoux,  a  missionary 
of  the  Paris  Evangelical  Society,  who  was  stationed  at 
Motito,  a  place  situated  about  thirty-six  miles  to  the 
north-east  of  Kuruman.  He  was  a  man  of  gentle 
disposition  and  addicted  to  study.  Early  in  March, 
1 866,  he  had  started  upon  a  tour  to  carry  on  evan- 
gelistic work  among  the  Barolong  villages  along  the 


THE   SECHWANA   BIBLE.  1 35 

margin  of  the  Kalahari  desert.  While  visiting  one  of 
these,  a  low  class  trader  arrived  who  had  been  guilty 
of  atrocious  conduct  at  Motito.  The  natives  insisted 
upon  the  trader  going  to  Kuruman,  where  his  conduct 
could  be  investigated,  and,  upon  his  refusing  to  do 
so,  prepared  to  take  him  by  force.  He  intrenched 
himself  in  his  waggon  with  all  his  guns  loaded,  and 
dared  any  one  to  lay  hands  upon  him.  Fredoux 
seeing  the  serious  state  that  matters  were  assuming 
quietly  drew  near  to  the  trader's  waggon,  and  urged 
him  to  go  peaceably  to  Kuruman,  assuring  him  that 
the  people  were  determined  he  should  go,  if  not 
peaceably,  then  by  force. 

While  thus  pleading  with  this  man,  a  fearful 
explosion  took  place,  the  waggon  and  its  occupant 
were  blown  to  atoms,  Jean  Fredoux  and  twelve 
natives  were  killed,  and  about  thirty  more  were 
injured. 

This  was  a  further  heavy  affliction  for  Robert  Moffat 
and  his  wife.  As  soon  as  they  heard  of  the  catastrophe, 
Robert  hastened  to  succour  his  widowed  daughter,  and 
to  consign  to  the  grave  at  Motito  the  shattered  remains 
of  his  son-in-law. 

A  few  months  later  another  visit  was  paid  to  the 
open  grave,  this  time  to  consign  to  its  last  resting 
place  the  body  of  Mrs.  Brown,  the  wife  of  the  Rev. 
John  Brown,  who  a  short  time  before  had  taken  up 
his  abode  at  the  Kuruman  as  a  colleague  of  Robert 
Moffat. 

In  1868  the  missionary  staff  at  that  station  con- 
sisted of  Robert  Moffat  and  his  son  John  Moffat. 
The  former  had  now  more  than  completed  the  three- 
score years  and  ten  allotted  to  man  as  the  duration  of 
human  life,  and  unlike  the  great  leader  of  God's 
chosen  people,  of  whom  it  is  said,  "  his  eye  was  not 


136  ROBERT   MOFFAT. 

dim,  nor  his  natural  force  abated,"  Robert  Moffat 
felt  the  infirmities  of  age  creeping  very  rapidly  upon 
him.  Yet  he  held  on  his  way  for  two  years  longer. 
A  short  and  constant  cough  during  the  winter  months 
aggravated  his  natural  tendency  to  sleeplessness,  and 
at  last  he  felt  himself  reluctantly  compelled  to  accept 
the  invitation  of  the  Directors  to  return  finally  to 
England. 

Going  home  to  England  it  could  hardly  be  called, 
his  home  was  with  his  loved  Bechwanas,  with  those 
for  whom  he  had  toiled  and  prayed  so  long.  The 
ashes  of  his  son  Robert,  and  of  his  devoted  daughter 
Mary  reposed  beneath  the  sands  of  Africa  ;  his  early 
and  later  manhood  had  been  spent  beneath  its  scorch- 
ing sun.  The  house  he  was  to  leave  had  been  the 
birthplace  of  most  of  his  children,  and  his  home  for 
more  than  forty  years.  Yes,  it  was  hard  to  leave ; 
and  the  expectation  had  become  very  real  to  him 
that  his  body  and  that  of  his  faithful  partner  would 
be  laid  side  by  side  in  that  little  burial-ground  in  the 
bushy  dell,  marked  by  a  few  trees,  at  Kuruman.  But 
the  final  determination  had  been  arrived  at,  and  with 
slow  and  hesitating  steps,  as  though  waiting  for 
something,  even  then,  to  prevent  their  departure, 
preparations  were  made  for  leaving  the  station  for  ever. 

Of  the  general  aspect  of  affairs  at  the  Kuruman 
during  these  last  two  years  we  have  a  graphic 
description  from  the  pen  of  the  Rev.  John  Moffat,  who 
in  a  letter  to  the  Directors  dated  12th  October,  1868, 
wrote  as  follows  : — 

"The  public  services  on  the  station  are  a  prayer- 
meeting  at  sunrise  on  Sunday;  preaching  in  Sechwana, 
morning,  afternoon,  and  evening,  with  the  Sunday 
school  twice,  and  a  juvenile  afternoon  service.  The 
early  prayer-meeting  is  left  entirely  to  the  natives,  the 


THE   SECIIWANA   BIBLE.  137 

three  preaching  services  entirely  to  the  missionaries, 
and  the  Sunday  school,  with  the  juvenile  service,  to 
my  sister.  There  is  also  a  Wednesday  evening 
service,  a  monthly  missionary  prayer  meeting,  a  church 
meeting,  and  a  prayer  meeting  on  Thursday  afternoon. 
This  last  is  in  the  hands  of  the  natives.  No  native 
takes  any  part  in  the  preaching  on  the  station,  except 
in  extreme  cases,  when  it  is  regarded  as  a  makeshift. 
My  father  and  I  share  the  preaching  between  us. 
Occasionally,  say  once  in  three  weeks,  one  of  us  rides 
to  two  villages  to  the  north-west,  holding  services  at 
each  ;  they  are  respectively  eight  and  twelve  miles 
distant.  My  custom  at  home,  in  the  regular  way,  is 
to  give  New  Testament  reading  in  the  morning,  a 
topical  sermon  in  the  afternoon,  and  Old  Testament 
exposition  in  the  evening.  On  Monday  evening  I 
have  a  young  men's  Bible  class,  which  is  to  me  the 
most  interesting  work  I  have  to  do,  more  especially 
as  I  have  much  encouragement  in  it.  .  .  .  On  the 
Monday  evening,  also,  my  sister  and  I  hold  a  practis- 
ing class  for  the  purpose  of  trying  to  improve  the 
singing.  On  Tuesday  evening  I  meet  male  inquirers, 
on  Wednesday,  before  the  service,  I  have  a  Bible  class 
for  women,  on  Thursday  we  have  an  English  prayer 
meeting,  and  on  Friday  evening  I  meet  female 
inquirers.  I  need  not  mention  the  school  conducted 
by  my  sister  and  three  native  assistants." 

Speaking  of  the  place  and  people  he  continues  : — 
"  The  population  is  small  and  scattered.  On  the 
spot  there  must  be  a  good  many  people,  and  also  at 
the  villages  to  the  north-west ;  but  otherwise  the 
district  contains  only  small  villages  of  from  twenty  to 
one  hundred  huts.  It  extends  fifty  miles  west  and 
north-west,  and  about  twenty-five  miles  in  other 
directions. 


138 


ROBERT   MOFFAT. 


"The  people  are  poor  and  must  remain  so.  The 
country  is  essentially  dry.  Irrigation  is  necessary  for 
successful  agriculture,  and  there  are  few  spots  where 
water  flows.  There  is  no  market  for  cattle,  even  if 
they  throve  abundantly,  which  they  do  not.  I  despair 
of  much  advance  in  civilisation,  when  their  resources 
are  so  small,  and  when  the  European  trade  is  on  the 


JIAIN    STREET    IN    PORT    ELIZABETH, 

principle  of  enormous  profits  and  losses.  Two 
hundred  per  cent,  on  Port  Elizabeth  prices  is  not  con- 
sidered out  of  the  way. 

"  Heathenism,  as  a  system,  is  weak,  indeed  in  many 
places  it  is  nowhere.  Christianity  meets  with  little 
opposition.      The    people    generally   are   prodigious 


THE   SECHWANA  BIBLE.  I39 

Bible  readers,  church-goers,  and  psalm-singers,  I  fear 
to  a  large  extent  without  knowledge.  Religion  to 
them  consists  in  the  above  operations,  and  in  giving  a 
sum  to  the  Auxiliary.  I  am  speaking  of  the  generality. 
There  are  many  whom  I  cannot  but  feel  to  be 
Christians,  but  dimly.  This  can  hardly  be  the  result 
of  low  mental  power  alone.  The  Bechwanas  show 
considerable  acuteness  when  circumstances  call  it 
out. 

"The  educational  department  of  the  Mission  has 
been  kept  in  the  background.  On  this  station  the 
youth  on  leaving  school  have  sunk  back  for  want  of  a 
continued  course  being  opened  to  them.  The  village 
schoolmasters,  uneducated  themselves,  and  mostly 
unpaid,  make  but  a  feeble  impression.  The  wonder 
is  that  they  do  so  much,  and  where  the  readers  come 
from.  It  is  hard  to  say  that  the  older  missionaries 
could  have  done  otherwise.  ...  I  cannot  tell  you 
how  one  thing  presses  on  me  every  day  :  the  want  of 
qualified  native  schoolmasters  and  teachers  ;  and  the 
question  :  how  are  they  to  be  obtained  ?  " 

On  Sunday,  20th  March,  1870,  Robert  Moffat 
preached  for  the  last  time  in  the  Kuruman  church, 
and  on  the  Friday  following  the  departure  took  place. 
"  Ramary  "  and  "  Mamary,"  as  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Moffat 
were  called,  had  completely  won  the  hearts  of  the 
natives.  For  weeks  past  messages  of  farewell  had 
been  coming  from  the  more  distant  towns  and  villages, 
and  now  that  the  final  hour  had  arrived  and  the 
venerable  missionary,  with  his  long  white  beard,  and 
his  equally  revered  wife,  left  their  house  and  walked 
to  their  waggon  they  were  beset  by  crowds  of  people, 
each  one  longing  for  another  shake  of  the  hand,  a  last 
parting  word,  or  a  final  look ;  and,  as  the  waggon 
drove  away,  a  long  pitiful  wail  rose  from  those  who 


140  ROBERT   MOFFAT. 

felt  that  their  teacher  and  friend  was  with  them  no 
more. 

After  a  rough  but  safe  journey  of  eight  weeks, 
Robert  and  Mary  Moffat  reached  Port  Elizabeth  on 
the  20th  May,  1870,  and  received  a  hearty  welcome 
from  a  large  number  of  missionaries  and  other 
Christian  friends,  who  had  gathered  to  meet  them. 
Making  a  brief  stay  they  embarked  in  the  mail 
steamer  Roman  and  landed  at  Cape  Town  on  the 
2nd  of  June.  Here  they  were  entertained  by  the 
Christian  community  at  a  public  breakfast.  A  {z\n 
days  later  they  embarked  in  the  steamship  Norseman, 
en  route  for  Enerland. 


CHAPTER  X. 


CLOSING     SCENES. 


IN  the  Chronicle  of  the  London  Missionary  Society 
for  March,  1870,  the  following  notice  appeared  : 
"  Our  readers  will  be  glad  to  hear  that  there  is 
now  a  definite  prospect  of  welcoming  again  to 
England  our  veteran  missionary,  the  Rev.  Robert 
Moffat.  He  may  be  expected,  with  Mrs.  Moffat, 
about  the  month  of  June.  Mr.  Moffat  no  longer 
enjoys  his  former  robust  health.  In  his  last  letter  he 
writes  :  *  What  to  me  was  formerly  a  molehill  is  now 
a  mountain,  and  we  both  have  for  some  time  past 
begun  to  feel  some  of  the  labour  and  sorrow  so 
frequently  experienced  by  those  who  have  passed 
their  three-score  years  and  ten.'  " 

The  Norseman  reached  Plymouth  on  the  24th  of 
July,  and  next  day  Robert  and  Mary  Moffat  landed  at 
Southampton,  thus  returning  to  their  native  land,  to 
leave  it  no  more,  after  an  absence  of  over  fifty  years  ; 
during  which  time  they  had  visited  it  only  once 
before. 

On  the  1st  of  August  he  was  welcomed  by  the 
Society,  at  an  influential  meeting,  convened  for  the 
purpose,  in  the  Board  Room  of  the  Mission  House,  in 

141 


142  ROBERT   MOFFAT. 

Blomfield  Street.  At  that  meeting,  alluding  to  his 
previous  visit  in  1839,  and  to  the  printing  of  the  New 
Testament  in  Sechwana,  he  stated  as  follows : — 

"When  I  came  to  the  Cape,  previous  to  my  first 
visit,  I  brought  a  translation  of  the  New  Testament, 
which  I  had  translated  under  considerable  difficulties, 
being  engaged  a  portion  of  the  day  in  roofing  an 
immense  church,  and  the  remainder  in  exegetical 
examinations  and  consulting  concordances.  I  was 
anxious  to  get  it  printed,  and  I  brought  it  down  to 
the  Cape,  but  there  I  could  find  no  printing-office 
that  would  undertake  it.  The  Committee  of  the 
Bible  Society  very  kindly — as  they  have  always  been 
to  me,  I  say  it  with  pleasure — forwarded  paper  and 
ink  to  the  Cape  expecting  I  should  get  the  work  done 
there.  As  I  said,  there  was  not  a  printing-office  that 
would  undertake  it.  Dining  with  Sir  George  Napier, 
the  Governor,  I  informed  him  of  the  difficulty.  He 
said,  'Jump  on  board  a  ship  with  your  translation 
and  get  it  printed  in  England,  and  you  will  be  back 
again  while  they  are  thinking  about  it  here.  Print  a 
New  Testament  among  a  set  of  Dutch  printers  !  why 
I  can't  even  get  my  proclamations  printed.'  I  said, 
'  I  have  become  too  barbarous ;  I  have  almost  for- 
gotten my  own  language ;  I  should  be  frightened  to 
go  there.'     '  Oh  stuff!'  he  said. 

"Some  time  after  he  met  me  in  the  street:  'Well, 
Moffat,  what  have  you  determined  upon  ? '  'I  am 
waiting  the  return  of  Dr.  Philip.'  '  Don't  wait  for 
anybody  ;  just  jump  on  board  a  ship.  Think  of  the 
importance  of  getting  the  New  Testament  put  in 
print  in  a  new  language  ! '  He  invited  me  to  dinner 
again  and  said,  '  Have  you  come  to  a  conclusion  ? 
I  wish  I  could  give  you  mine.  I  feel  some  interest  in 
the  extension  of  the  knowledge  of  the  Word  of  God. 


.MAK\     iMuMAI. 


143 


144  ROBERT   MOFFAT. 

Take  nobody's  advice,  but  jump  on  board  a  ship  for 
England.'  He  spoke  so  seriously  that  I  began  to 
feel  serious  myself. 

"  Dr.  Philip  came,  and  when  the  Governor  explained 
the  circumstances,  the  Doctor  said,  '  Go,  by  all  means.' 
I  was  nervous  at  the  thought.  I  was  not  a  nervous 
man  in  Africa.  I  could  sleep  and  hear  the  lions  roar. 
There  seemed  so  many  great  folks  to  meet  with. 
I  came  to  England  and  by-and-by  I  got  over  it." 

On  the  Wednesday,  following  this  meeting,  he  was 
entertained  at  a  public  breakfast  at  the  Cannon  Street 
Hotel. 

For  a  few  weeks  the  Moffats  dwelt  at  Canonbury, 
though  Robert  himself  was  so  much  engaged  in 
visiting  different  parts  of  the  country,  Edinburgh 
included,  where  he  met  with  many  old  friends,  that 
he  was  not  suffered  at  this  time  to  dwell  for  long  in 
any  one  place. 

The  winter  was  spent  at  Brixton,  and  on  the  21st 
of  December,  ;^iooo  was  presented  to  Robert  Moffat 
as  a  birthday  gift,  a  most  cheering  tribute  of  esteem 
to  a  tried  and  faithful  servant  of  Jesus  Christ. 

The  effects  of  this  act  of  kindness  had  not  passed 
away  when  a  heavy  cloud  hung  over  the  happy  home 
at  Brixton.  She,  who  for  more  than  half-a-century 
had  been  the  loving  helpmeet  of  the  African 
missionary,  sharing  his  joys  and  sorrows,  his  hopes 
and  discouragements,  and  many  of  his  privations  and 
perils,  lay  dying.  A  troublesome  cough,  a  difficulty 
of  breathing,  a  few  long  deep  breaths,  and  she  was 
gone,  without  even  a  word  of  farewell ;  called  home 
to  receive  the  "  Well  done,  good  and  faithful 
servant,"  and  to  enter  into  the  joy  of  her  Lord.  Her 
last  words  were  a  prayer  for  her  husband,  that 
strength  might  be  given  him  to  bear  the  blow. 


CLOSING   SCENES.  I45 

Robert  Moffat  indeed  needed  strength  in  this  hour 
of  affliction.  His  first  exclamation  on  finding  that 
she  had  really  gone  was,  "  For  fifty-three  years  I  have 
had  her  to  pray  for  me,"  and  writing  to  his  old  friend 
and  fellow-labourer,  Roger  Edwards,  who  was  then  at 
Port  Elizabeth,  he  said,  "  How  lonely  I  feel,  and  if  it 
were  not  for  Jeanie  (his  daughter)  it  would  be  much 
more  so." 

The  events  of  the  next  few  years  may  be  briefly 
summarised.  He  travelled  much  to  different  parts  of 
the  country,  visiting  High  Leigh,  the  old  house  at 
Dukinfield,  and  Carronshore.  His  services  were 
continually  in  requisition  for  missionary  meetings,  and 
doubtless  many  of  our  readers  will  be  old  enough  to 
remember  the  bronzed  face,  with  its  full  flowing  beard, 
blanched  by  age,  the  keen  eyes,  and  the  venerable 
form  of  Robert  Moffat  at  this  time,  and  to  call  to 
mind  the  pleasure  they  derived  as  they  listened  to 
his  glowing  descriptions  of  the  needs  of  Africa. 

The  winter  of  1871  was  passed  at  Ventnor,  in  the 
Isle  of  Wight,  and  occupied  in  revising  proof  sheets 
of  the  Old  Testament  in  Sechwana.  While  there  he 
was,  by  Her  Majesty's  own  desire,  introduced  to  the 
Queen,  whom  he  had  never  seen  before.  He  also 
received  the  degree  of  Doctor  of  Divinity,  from  the 
University  of  Edinburgh. 

To  meet  the  need  for  training  a  native  ministry, 
which  had  been  felt  by  Moffat  and  others  engaged  in 
the  work  of  the  Bechwana  Mission,  and  which  had 
shortly  before  his  return  been  pressed  upon  the 
attention  of  the  Directors,  several  thousand  pounds 
were  subscribed,  and,  as  a  way  of  doing  honour  to  the 
veteran  who  was  now  in  their  midst,  it  was  proposed 
to  call  the  Institute  that  was  to  be  founded,  "The 
Moffat  Institute."     This  now  stands  as  a  centre  ol 

K 


146  ROBERT   MOFFAT. 

influence  amidst  the  tribes  surrounding  the  Kuruman 
station. 

In  1873,  a  number  of  friends,  who  thought  that  the 
liberal  contributions  which  had  been  subscribed  to  the 
Institute,  hardly  gave  such  a  direct  proof  of  their 
esteem  for  their  venerated  friend  as  could  be  desired, 
presented  Robert  Moffat  with  a  sum  of  upwards  of 
;^5000.  This  liberality  provided  for  his  wants  during 
the  remainder  of  his  life,  enabled  him  to  serve  the 
Directors  and  the  cause  of  missions,  without  being  any 
longer  a  burden  upon  the  funds  of  the  Society,  and 
also  placed  him  in  a  position  to  meet  the  wants  of  his 
widowed  daughter  and  her  fatherless  family. 

While  living  at  Brixton,  Robert  Moffat  attended 
the  ministry  of  the  late  Rev.  Baldwin  Brown,  in  whose 
mission-work  in  Lambeth  he  was  much  interested. 
On  his  eightieth  birthday,  21st  December,  1875,  he 
opened  the  new  Mission  Hall  in  connection  with  this 
work,  which  hall  was  thenceforward  called  by  his 
name.  On  the  same  day  he  received  many  congra- 
tulatory tokens,  among  them  being  an  address  signed 
by  a  great  number  of  Congregational  ministers  from 
every  part  of  the  country.  Prior  to  this  in  the  same 
year,  he  had  lectured  upon  Missions  in  Westminster 
Abbey,  and  in  the  preceding  year  he  had  performed 
the  melancholy  duty  of  identifying  the  remains  of  his 
son-in-law,  Dr.  Livingstone,  upon  their  being  brought 
home  from  Africa. 

Engagements  and  constant  requests  for  his  services 
made  great  inroads  upon  his  time.  "  People  either 
could  not  or  would  not  see  that  he  was  getting  old," 
he  frequently  said  ;  but  people  knew  that  as  long  as 
he  had  strength  to  speak,  he  would  not  grow  weary 
of  addressing  audiences  on  missionary  work. 

In  1876,  we  find  him  dining  on  one  occasion  with 


CLOSING   SCENES.  147 

the  Archbishop  of  Canterbury  at  Lambeth  Palace, 
and  on  another  breakfasting  with  Mr.  Gladstone,  in 
the  house  of  the  Rev.  Newman  Hall.  In  the  follow- 
ing year  by  invitation  of  the  French  Missionary 
Society  he  visited  Paris,  and  while  there  addressed  a 
meeting  of  4000  Sunday-school  children. 

On  the  20th  of  December,  1878,  he  received  the 
freedom  of  the  City  of  London,  and  somewhat  over 
two  years  later  was  the  guest  of  the  then  Lord  Mayor, 
Alderman,  now  Sir  William,  McArthur,  for  several 
days,  a  banquet  being  given  in  his  honour. 

During  the  time  that  Cetewayo  was  in  England 
Robert  Moffat  was  much  interested  in  him  and  paid 
him  a  visit.  Among  the  Zulu  king's  attendants  was 
a  man  who  could  speak  Sechwana,  and  with  him 
Moffat  at  once  got  into  conversation.  The  man's 
delight  was  unbounded.  He  had  been  in  the  train  of 
a  son  of  Moselekatse,  and  had  heard  of  the  missionary. 
"A  u  Moshete?"  (Are  you  Moffat)  he  asked  again 
and  again,  with  beaming  eyes  exclaiming  when 
convinced  of  the  fact,  "  I  see  this  day  what  my  eyes 
never  expected  to  behold,  Moshete  !  " 

For  the  last  four  years  of  his  life  Robert  Moffat 
resided  at  Park  Cottage,  Leigh,  near  Tunbridge,  where 
he  was  the  tenant  of  the  late  Samuel  Morley,  Esq. 
From  both  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Morley  he  received  much 
kindness,  which  continued  until  the  day  of  his  death. 

The  end  now  drew  near.  In  1883,  he  complained 
of  great  weariness  and  intermittent  pulsation.  This 
troubled  him  so  constantly  that  advice  was  sought. 
For  a  short  time  this  availed.  He  attended  the  Bible 
Society's  meeting  in  the  second  week  in  May,  and  the 
meeting  of  the  London  Missionary  Society  on  the 
loth,  and  in  July  paid  a  visit  to  Knockholt,  where  he 
met  Mr.  and  Mrs.  George  Sturge.     From  this  visit  he 


148  ROBERT   MOFFAT. 

returned  seeming  better,  but  in  a  few  days  unfavour- 
able symptoms  again  showed  themselves.  Yet  the 
strong  frame,  that  had  endured  so  much,  seemed  loath 
to  give  in,  and,  whenever  able,  he  was  in  and  out  of 
his  garden.  He  also  took  two  drives,  Mrs.  Morley 
very  kindly  sending  her  carriage  for  that  purpose 
when  he  felt  able  to  make  use  of  it. 

"  Mark  the  perfect  man,  and  behold  the  upright : 
for  the  end  of  that  man  is  peace."  Most  beautifully 
was  this  truth  exemplified  in  the  closing  scenes  of  the 
life  of  this  truly  noble  and  good  man.  On  Sunday, 
5th  August,  he  was  too  weak  to  attend  chapel,  and 
spent  a  peaceful  Sabbath  at  home.  He  was  very  fond 
of  hymns  and  would  often  repeat  one  after  another. 
In  the  evening  he  chose  several  which  were  sung, 
though  feebleness  prevented  him  from  joining  the 
singing.  Among  those  chosen  were  :  "  The  sands  of 
time  are  sinking,"  "  Come,  Thou  fount  of  every  bless- 
ing," "  How  sweet  the  name  of  Jesus  sounds,"  and 
"  Nearer,  my  God,  to  Thee."  His  New  Testament  was 
his  constant  companion  during  these  last  days,  and 
whatever  the  topic  of  conversation,  it  always  turned 
with  him  to  heaven  and  the  Saviour. 

On  Monday  he  seemed  somewhat  better,  but  on 
Tuesday  night  he  was  much  worse.  Hours  of  pain 
and  sleeplessness  were  passed,  yet  he  rose  on 
Wednesday  and  went  out  several  times  to  the 
garden.  In  the  evening  he  became  very  ill  and 
had  a  fainting  fit,  but  managed  after  awhile  to  get 
upstairs,  and,  after  remaining  on  the  bedside  for 
some  time,  propped  up  with  pillows,  he  undressed, 
with  little  assistance  and  much  deliberation,  winding 
up  his  watch,  with  a  cold,  trembling  hand, — "  for  the 
last  time,"  he  said. 

The  doctor  arrived  shortly  afterwards,  who  found 


CLOSING  SCENES.  I49 

that  he  had  broken  a  blood-vessel.  The  night  was 
passed  partly  in  peaceful  sleep,  and  partly  in  converse 
with  his  children  who  were  then  present.  His 
daughter  says,  "  He  was  just  full  of  his  Saviour's 
love  and  mercy  all  through  his  life ;  he  repeated 
many  hymns  and  passages  of  Scripture." 

On  Thursday  morning  he  was  visited  by  Mr.  Morley 
and  two  other  friends,  with  whom  he  conversed.  He 
also  had  his  Testament,  but  finding  he  could  not 
read  it,  his  daughters  read  to  him.  He  repeated 
many  hymns,  among  them  the  Scotch  version  of  the 
hundred  and  third  Psalm,  but  stopped  and  said, 
"  There  is  nothing  like  the  original,"  which  was  then 
read  from  the  Bible.  His  mother's  favourite  hymn, 
"  Hail,  sovereign  Light,"  was  also  by  his  special 
desire  read  to  him. 

Another  sleep — a  wandering,  perhaps  unconscious, 
look  at  his  children,  a  struggle,  and  then  a  quietness  ; 
and  the  pilgrimage  was  over,  the  spirit  had  fled  to  be 
present  with  the  Lord  whom  he  had  loved  so  well 
and  served  so  faithfully.     "  His  end  was  peace." 

He  died  on  the  loth  of  August,  1883,  in  his 
eighty-eighth  year. 

The  funeral  took  place  a  few  days  later  at  Norwood 
Cemetery,  when,  surrounded  by  such  relatives  as  were 
in  England,  Sir  Bartle  Frere,  Mr.  Samuel  Morley 
and  several  other  Members  of  Parliament,  deputations 
from  the  various  Missionary  and  several  Religious 
Societies,  and  by  the  Mayor  of  Bloemfontein,  his 
remains  were  consigned  to  the  tomb. 

Never  had  a  truer  hero  been  borne  to  the  grave, 
nor  one  more  thoroughly  worthy  of  the  name  of  MAN. 


CHAPTER    XL 


CONCLUSION. 


AS  soon  as  it  was  realised  that  Robert  Moffat  had 
actually  gone,  it  was  felt  that  a  truly  great 
man  had  departed  from  among  us.     A  niche 

in  the  temple  of  earth's  true  nobility  seemed 
empty.  The  prevailing  feeling  was  given  expression 
to  by  some  of  the  leading  journals,  which  in  eulogistic 
articles  commented  upon  the  life,  work,  and  character 
of  him  who  had  gone. 

TJie  Times,  in  its  review,  contained  the  following 
remarks: — "  His  chief  work  was  among  the  Bechwanas. 
His  picture  of  what  they  were  when  he  first  knew  them 
would  hardly  now  be  recognised,  so  entirely  have 
they  changed  under  the  new  influences  which  Moffat 
was  the  first  to  bring  to  bear  upon  them.  He  found 
them  mere  savages,  constantly  at  war  among  them- 
selves and  with  their  neighbours,  ignorant  of  the  arts 
of  agriculture,  and  in  the  utterly  degraded  state  for 
which  we  must  seek  a  counterpart  now  in  the  more 
distant  tribes,  whom  the  message  of  civilisation  has 
not  yet  reached.  His  first  care  was  to  make  himself 
thoroughly  master  of  the  language  of  those  to  whom 
he  was  sent.     For  fifty  years  he  has  declared  he  had 

150 


CONCLUSION.  I  5  I 

been  accustomed  to  speak  the  Bechwana  tongue  ;  he 
reduced  it  to  written  characters,  and  translated  the 
Scriptures  into  it.  The  Bechwanas,  under  Moffat's 
guidance,  became  new  men.  Mission  work  grew  and 
spread  among  them  ;  what  Moffat  had  begun  to  do 
was  taken  up  by  other  hands ;  a  permanent  body  of 
native  pastors  was  created  from  among  the  Bechwanas 
themselves,  and  the  whole  region  was  raised  out  of 
the  savage  state  in  which  Moffat  had  found  it,  and 
became,  in  no  small  degree,  civilised  as  well  as 
Christianised.  ...  It  would  seem,  indeed,  that  it  is 
only  by  the  agency  of  such  men  as  Moffat  and  his 
like  that  the  contact  of  the  white  and  black  races  can 
be  anything  but  a  curse  to  the  blacks.  It  is  the 
missionary  alone  who  seeks  nothing  for  himself  He 
has  chosen  an  unselfish  life.  If  honour  comes  to  him, 
it  is  by  no  choice  of  his  own,  but  as  the  unsought 
tribute  which  others,  as  it  were,  force  upon  him. 
Robert  Moffat  has  died  in  the  fulness  both  of  years 
and  honours.  His  work  has  been  to  lay  the  founda- 
tions of  the  Church  in  the  central  regions  of  South 
Africa.  As  far  as  his  influence  and  that  of  his 
coadjutors  and  successors  has  extended,  it  has 
brought  with  it  unmixed  good.  His  name  will  be 
remembered  while  the  South  African  Church  endures, 
and  his  example  will  remain  with  us  as  a  stimulus  to 
others,  and  as  an  abiding  proof  of  what  a  Christian 
missionary  can  be  and  can  do." 

The  BrigJiton  Daily  News  commenced  its  article 
by  saying  : — "  The  grave  has  just  closed  over  one  of 
the  most  notable  men  whose  figures  are  familiar  to 
the  inhabitants  of  Brighton.  Robert  Moffat,  the 
veteran  pioneer  in  the  mission  field,  and  the  simplest 
of  heroes,  has  passed  away,  and  many  of  the  noblest 
of  the  land  followed  his  remains  to  their  resting-place." 


152  ROBERT    MOFFAT. 

It  concluded  with,  "  In  the  drawing-rooms  of  fashion- 
able Brighton,  crowded  with  the  lovers  of  art  and 
science,  no  one  grudged  the  cessation  of  music  the 
most  classical,  or  of  conversation  the  most  charming, 
to  listen  to  the  venerable  Doctor  when  requested  to 
repeat  some  incidents  of  his  missionary  life.  All  felt 
that  the  scene  was  hallowed  by  the  presence  of  one 
who  had  done  a  work  for  the  good  of  men,  such  as 
few  have  been  privileged  to  accomplish.  Robert 
Moffat  belonged  to  no  sect  or  party.  To  better  the 
world  and  advance  the  one  Church  formed  the  sole 
end  of  his  being." 

Other  journals  and  magazines  bore  like  testimony 
to  his  worth. 

Of  his  work  we  have  said  much  in  the  preceding 
pages,  and  also  something  of  its  results.  To  this  may 
be  added  Robert  Moffat's  own  account  of  some  of  the 
benefits  which  sprung  from  the  prosecution  of  mission- 
ary enterprise  in  South  Africa.  In  his  speech  at  Port 
Elizabeth,  on  finally  leaving  for  England,  in  Ma}', 
1870,  referring  to  the  general  progress  made  in  the 
interior,  he  said  : — 

"  Christianity  has  already  accomplished  much  in 
this  long  benighted  land.  When  I  first  went  to  the 
Kuruman  scarcely  an  individual  could  go  beyond. 
Now  they  travel  in  safety  to  the  Zambesi.  Then  we 
were  strangers^  and  they  could  not  comprehend  us. 
They  treated  us  with  great  indignity,  and  considered 
us  to  be  the  outcasts  of  society,  who,  being  driven 
from  our  own  race,  went  to  reside  with  them  ;  but 
bearing  in  remembrance  what  our  Saviour  had  to 
undergo,  we  were  encouraged  to  persevere,  and  much 
success  has  rewarded  our  efforts.  Now  it  is  safe  to 
traverse  any  part  of  the  country,  and  traders  travel  far 
beyond  Kuruman  without  the  slightest  fear  of  molesta- 


■CONCLUSION.  153 

tion.  Formerly  men  of  one  tribe  could  not  travel 
through  another's  territory,  and  wars  were  frequent. 
During  my  early  mission  life,  I  often  heard  of  men  of 
one  tribe  going  to  trade  with  another,  and  being 
murdered.  I  was  at  a  native  place  when  a  thing  of 
that  sort  once  occurred.  A  party  of  men  had  come 
two  hundred  miles  to  dispose  of  some  articles.  The 
resident  natives,  taking  a  dislike  to  them,  set  upon 
them  and  killed  two  of  their  number.  I  asked  them 
why  they  had  done  this,  and  tried  to  show  them  it 
was  wrong.  They  seemed  to  know  that ;  and  from 
that  time  I  have  never  heard  of  anything  of  the  sort. 

"The  influence  of  Christianity  in  that  country  is 
now  very  great,  and  constantly  increasing.  Where 
one  station  was  scarcely  tolerated,  there  are  now 
several.  The  Moravians  have  their  missionaries. 
The  Berlin  Society  have  theirs,  and  others  are  engaged 
in  the  good  work,  besides  numerous  native  Gospel 
teachers.  Our  advanced  station  at  the  Matabele  is  in 
a  very  prosperous  state,  and  I  quite  expect  that  the 
Matabele  will  become  one  day  a  great  nation.  They 
sternly  obey  their  own  laws,  and  I  have  noticed  that 
when  men  of  fixed  principles  become  convinced  of  the 
great  truths  of  Christianity  they  hold  firmly  to  the 
faith,  and  their  fidelity  is  not  lightly  to  be  shaken." 

In  the  same  speech  he  also  mentioned  the  fact  that 
whereas  at  first  the  natives  would  not  buy  anything, 
not  even  a  pocket  handkerchief,  now,  when  he  was 
speaking,  no  less  than  sixty  thousand  pounds  worth 
of  British  manufactures  passed  yearly  into  the  hands  of 
the  native  tribes  around  Kuruman. 

Thus  the  missionary  prepared  the  way  for  the  mer- 
chant, and  the  Gospel  for  the  progress  of  civilisation. 

Of  Moffat's  character  we  have  had  frequent  glimpses 
in  the  preceding  pages  ;   of  his  personal  appearance 


154  ROBERT   MOFFAT. 

and  dignified  mien  our  portrait  and  pictures  give 
some  idea.  A  few  words  may,  however,  be  added, 
based  upon  the  facts  recorded  by  his  son  in  the  last 
chapter  of  "  Robert  and  Mary  Moffat." 

Tall  and  strong,  with  dark  piercing  eyes,  he  stood, 
a  man  of  dauntless  courage,  quick  and  energetic  in 
action,  with  a  resolution  in  the  performance  of  duty 
that  no  opposition  could  thwart ;  yet,  withal,  of  gentle 
manner,  and  of  an  even  temper,  proof  against  the 
many  attacks  made  upon  it.  His  disposition  was  to 
think  well  of  men,  and  to  believe  what  they  said. 
Deceit  he  hated,  it  was  the  one  thing  he  could  not 
forgive.  He  trusted  men  implicitly;  and  this  probably 
accounted  for  the  fact  that  the  Bechwanas,  who  carried 
the  art  of  lying  to  perfection,  seldom  lied  to  him. 
They  knew  it  was  the  one  thing  that  would  make 
him  angry. 

His  reverence  for  holy  things  was  very  great.  He 
relished  a  joke  as  well  as  any  man,  indeed,  there  was 
a  good  deal  of  humour  in  him  ;  but  woe  to  that  man 
who  spoke  jestingly  of  the  things  pertaining  to  God. 
The  Word  of  the  Lord  was  too  real  and  too  important 
for  any  triviality.  God  was  ever  present  to  him,  and 
he  lived  for  God.  His  son  says  :  "  Even  when  I  was 
alone  with  him,  on  some  of  his  itinerating  journey.s, 
no  meal  was  commenced  without  a  reverent  doffing 
of  the  Scotch  bonnet,  his  usual  head-dress  in  those 
days,  and  the  solemn  blessing ;  and  our  morning  and 
evening  worship  was  never  missed  or  hurried." 

An  instance  of  his  forbearance  under  provocation 
is  afforded  in  the  following : — 

"On  our  return  from  England  in  1843,"  says  the 
writer  just  quoted,  "we  were  a  large  party,  with  three 
or  four  waggons.  One  night  we  outspanned  in  the 
dark,  not  knowing  that  vve  were  on  forbidden  ground 


CONCLUSION.  ■  155 

— within  the  h'mits  of  a  farm,  but  a  half-mile  short  of 
the  homestead.  In  the  early  morning  a  young  man 
rode  up,  and  demanded  to  know  what  we  were  doing 
there  without  leave.  My  father  gently  explained 
that  we  had  done  it  in  ignorance,  but  his  explanation 
was  cut  short  by  a  harangue  loud  and  long.  The 
stripling  sat  on  his  horse,  my  father  stood  before  him 
with  bowed  head  and  folded  arms,  whilst  a  torrent  of 
abuse  poured  over  him,  with  a  plentiful  mixture  of 
such  terse  and  biting  missiles  of  invective  as  greatly 
enrich  the  South  African  Dutch  language.  We  stood 
around  and  remembered  that  only  a  few  months 
before  the  man  thus  rated  like  a  dog  was  standing 
before  enthusiastic  thousands  in  England,  who  hung 
v/ith  bated  breath  upon  his  utterances.  Something 
of  shame  must  have  arrested  the  wrath  of  the  young 
man,  for  he  suddenly  rode  away  without  impounding 
our  cattle,  as  he  had  threatened  to  do.  We  inspanned 
and  proceeded,  calling  on  our  way  at  the  house,  and 
there  we  found  ourselves  received  by  a  venerable 
white-haired  farmer  and  his  wife  with  open  arms,  for 
they  and  my  parents  proved  to  be  old  friends.  Right 
glad  were  we  that  nothing  had  been  done  on  our  side 
to  make  us  ashamed  to  meet  them." 

In  his  home  he  was  a  true  father,  and  the  influence 
that  surrounded  his  children  must  have  been  a  happy 
one,  seeing  that  so  many  of  them  embraced  the 
missionary  calling,  and  followed  in  the  footsteps  of 
their  venerated  parents.  Mary,  the  eldest  daughter, 
married  Dr.  Livingstone  ;  Ann,  the  French  missionar}-, 
Jean  Frddoux  ;  Bessie,  a  younger  daughter,  was  united 
to  the  Rev.  Roger  Price  ;  and  a  son,  the  Rev.  John 
Moffat,  became  for  a  time  his  father's  coadjutor  at 
the  Kuruman  station. 

In  bringing  this  memoir  to  a  conclusion,  we  may 


156  ROBERT   MOFFAT. 

be  permitted  to  glance  at  South  Africa  as  it  is  at  the 
present  time,  and  to  note  some  of  the  contrasts 
between  its  condition  now,  and  that  as  stated  in  our 
opening  chapter,  prior  to  Robert  Moffat's  arrival. 

At  the  time  when  he  first  landed  at  Cape  Town, 
the  work  of  evangelising  the  heathen  was  confined 
principally  to  two  Societies — the  Moravian  Mission 
and  the  London  Missionary  Society.  Now  the 
Societies  exceed  twelve  in  number,  and  represent  the 
following  nationalities :  English,  American,  French, 
Swiss,  Norwegian,  and  the  people  of  Finland. 

First,  in  order  of  date,  may  be  noticed  the  work 
of  the  Moravian  Brethren,  which  is  chiefly  carried  on 
among  the  Hottentots  and  Kafirs.  Their  chief 
station  is  Genadendal,  eighty  miles  east  of  Cape 
Town,  which  has  several  smaller  stations  grouped 
around  it.  Besides  these,  still  farther  east,  among 
the  Kafir  tribes,  is  the  station  of  Shiloh,  also  having  a 
number  of  out-stations  gathered  round  it. 

The  London  Missionary  Society  follows  with  its 
eleven  principal  stations  and  nine  out-stations.  This 
Society  is  now  labouring  in  South  Africa,  in  Kafirland, 
Bechwanaland  and  Matabeleland.  The  Report  for 
1886  shows  sixteen  English  missionaries  and  sixty- 
five  native  preachers  as  engaged  in  preaching  and 
teaching,  and  as  results,  1361  Church  members.  These 
returns  are  however  incomplete,  and  very  much  has 
occurred,  through  the  numerous  wars  and  unsettled 
state  of  the  country,  to  retard  the  progress  of 
missionary  work. 

Next  comes  the  Wesleyan  Missionary  Society,  who, 
commencing  operations  at  Cape  Town  in  18 14, 
extended  their  stations  round  the  coast  from  Little 
Namaqualand  to  Zululand.  They  are  also  labouring 
among  the  Barolongs  in  the  Orange  Free  State,  in 

I 


CONCLUSION.  157 

Swaziland,  and  at  the  Gold  Fields  at  Barberton,  in  the 
Transvaal. 

The  Scotch  Presbyterians  are  represented  by  the 
missions  of  the  Free  Church  of  Scotland,  and  the 
United  Presbyterian  Church.  These  confine  their 
labours  principally  to  British  Kaffraria  and  Kafirland. 
The  Free  Church  has  a  high-class  Institution  at 
Lovedale  for  the  training  of  a  native  ministry  and 
also  for  teaching  the  natives  many  of  the  useful  arts, 
and  an  improved  system  of  agriculture.  There  is  an 
efficient  staff  of  teachers,  and  in  1885,  380  pupils 
attended  the  Institution,  of  whom  seventy-one  were 
Church  members  and  ninety-one  candidates  or 
inquirers.  A  similar  institution  has  also  been 
established  among  the  Fingoes  at  Blythswood  in 
Fingoland. 

More  than  fifty  years  ago,  at  the  suggestion  of 
Dr.  Philip,  the  Rhenish  Mission  commenced  work 
among  the  Hottentots  of  Cape  Colony,  but  its  opera- 
tions extended,  and  now  embrace  Little  and  Great 
Namaqualand,  south  and  north  of  the  Orange  River, 
and,  away  beyond,  the  territory  known  as  Damara- 
land.  Their  stations  are  in  a  flourishing  condition, 
and  some  15,000  converts  bear  evidence  to  the  success 
of  their  efforts.  This  Society  also  looks  after  the 
preparation  of  native  teachers,  &c.,  and  has  an  excellent 
institution  for  that  purpose  at  Worcester,  near  Cape 
Town,  its  principal  station. 

Still  farther  north,  beyond  Damaraland  is  Ovampo- 
land,  occupied  by  the  Missionary  Society  of  Finland. 
Seven  ordained  Missionaries  and  three  Christian 
artisans  were  equipped  and  despatched  to  work  in 
this  region,  at  the  suggestion  of  the  Rhenish  Society. 
Their  enterprise  is  of  comparatively  recent  date  and 
results  cannot  yet  be  tabulated.     The  influence  for 


158  ROBERT   MOFFAT. 

good  exerted  will,  however,  doubtless  yield  fruit  by- 
and-by. 

The  missions  of  the  Berlin  Society  stretch  from  the 
eastern  portion  of  Cape  Colony  to  the  Transvaal,  and 
embrace  also  the  Orange  Free  State  and  the  Diamond 
Fields.  They  have  over  7000  converts,  and  a  large 
number  of  children  under  instruction  in  various 
schools. 

Basutoland,  to  the  east  of  the  Orange  Free  State, 
is  cared  for  by  the  French  Evangelical  Missionary 
Society,  who  commenced  work  in  South  Africa  in 
1829.  Their  first  missionaries  were  appointed  to  the 
Bahurutse,  then  tributary  to  Moselekatse,  but  being 
repulsed  through  the  jealousy  of  that  potentate  they 
settled  at  Motito,  and  finally  accepted  an  invitation 
from  Moshesh,  chief  of  the  Basutos,  to  work  among 
that  people.  The  mission  has  fourteen  principal 
stations  and  sixty-six  out-stations,  with  about  20,000 
adherents,  of  whom  about  3500  are  Church  members. 

In  1835  six  missionaries,  appointed  by  the 
American  Board  of  Foreign  Missions,  arrived  from  the 
United  States  to  labour  in  South  Africa.  Three 
proceeded  to  Natal  and  settled  near  Durban.  The 
other  three  journeyed  to  Moselekatse  at  Mosega. 
Their  mission  was  however  broken  up  through  the 
incursions  of  the  Boers,  and  they  were  compelled  to 
flee  to  Natal.  For  some  years  the  mission  there  was 
much  harassed  through  war,  but  it  is  now  firmly 
established  and  is  doing  excellent  work  of  a  religious 
and  educational  character,  having  a  number  of  well- 
instructed  native  pastors  and  teachers,  besides  the 
staff  of  European  missionaries.  In  1886  the  Board 
reports  having  in  connection  with  this  mission  seven 
stations  and  seventeen  out-stations,  and  886  Church 
members. 


CONCLUSION.  159 

The  Society  for  the  Propagation  of  the  Gospel 
commenced  its  missions  in  South  Africa  in  1838.  Its 
work  is  divided  between  the  Colonists  and  the 
natives,  and  is  carried  on  in  Cape  Colony  and  Natal  ; 
its  dioceses  stretching  round  the  coast  much  in  the 
same  manner  as  the  Wesleyan  stations. 

Besides  those  already  mentioned,  there  are  at  work 
now  in  South  Africa  the  Norwegian  Missionary 
Society,  labouring  in  Natal  and  Zululand  ;  the 
Hermaimsburg  Mission,  founded  by  Pastor  Harms, 
whose  operations  are  carried  on  in  Natal,  Zululand, 
and  the  Transvaal  ;  and  the  Swiss  society,  The 
Mission  of  the  Free  Church  of  the  Canton  de  Vaud, 
whose  efforts  are  directed  to  a  tribe  inhabiting  a 
country  between  Delagoa  Bay  and  Sofala.* 

Thus  the  missionary  cause  has  grown,  notwith- 
standing the  many  difficulties  it  has  had  to  contend 
with,  and  now  the  sound  of  the  Gospel  is  heard 
throughout  the  land.  From  the  southernmost  part 
of  what  was  the  "  Dark  Continent,"  but  which  is  now 
termed  by  some  the  "  Twilight  Continent,"  and  which 
we  trust  may  soon  be  blessed  with  the  full  light  of 
Christianity,  there  stretches  away  a  series  of  mission 
stations  right  to  the  Zambesi ;  and  there  joining 
hands  with  the  system  of  Central  African  missions  the 
glad  tidings  of  salvation  are  wafted  onward  to  the 
great  lake,  the  Victoria  Nyanza,  in  the  north  ;  east- 
ward to  the  coast ;  and,  in  the  west,  made  known  to 
thousands  by  means  of  the  various  organisations  now 
doing  such  excellent  work  on  the  Congo  River. 

In  a  central  position,  amidst  the  tribes  of  South 
Africa,  Kuruman,  the  scene  of  Robert  Moffat's  trials 

*  Many  of  tlic  facts  contained  in  this  review  of  Mission  work  in 
South  Africa  have  been  gleaned  from  "  South  Africa,"  by  the  Rev. 
James  Sibree,  F.R.G.S. 


l60  ROBERT   MOFFAT. 

and  triumphs,  stands  to-day,  surrounded  by  a  number 
of  native  towns  and  villages,  where  native  teachers, 
trained  in  the  Moffat  Institute,  are  located,  and  native 
Churches  have  been  formed, — a  beacon  shedding 
its  glorious  rays  around,  dispelling  the  darkness, 
and  bringing  the  heathen  to  the  knowledge  of  the 
Saviour,  Jesus  Christ. 


THE  END. 


S.  W.  PARTRIDGE  AND  CO.,  Q  PATERNOSTER  ROW. 


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